


With Me

by Star55



Series: Shades of Pink (Crazy in Love) [22]
Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alcohol, Angst, F/F, Genderswap, Girl Direction, Lesbian Sex, Oral Sex, Scissoring, Tattoos, Tribbing, Vaginal Fingering
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-05
Updated: 2019-04-05
Packaged: 2020-01-05 00:20:14
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 56,548
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18354728
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Star55/pseuds/Star55
Summary: The final fitting of her wedding dress almost has Harry in tears.“It’s so beautiful,” she says, staring at her reflection in the mirror. Tears prick the backs of her eyes as she takes in the entire dress. It sitsperfectlyon her body, comfortable and not restrictive in the slightest, which she is thankful for.A Shades of Pink story in which Louis and Harryfinallyget married!





	With Me

**Author's Note:**

> Happy my birthday to you!! ♥
> 
> Today is the Friday, the 5th of April and keeping up with my usual tradition, I come bearing fic! And it’s one that I am SO fucking nervous to post you have no idea!
> 
>  
> 
> So this is **it** officially, that is. This is the end of the Shades of Pink universe. (I do reserve the right (obviously) to write more for this universe if something comes to me, but apart from that, this universe is complete.)
> 
> This is probably going to get long. Kudos to you if you read this, by the way!
> 
> I want to thank _every single_ one of you who have read this series, left kudos, and comments. Each of them mean so much to me. I can’t even fathom that people like this series enough to comment or kudos it.
> 
> This started out as something silly, something sexy, and it turned into something I’m actually _really proud_ of. Really and truly proud of this series.
> 
> I wrote the majority of this series last year, which is odd. There’s about 170k (I think?) that I wrote last year, with 12k written this year, which makes the majority of it written in the last 6 months alone. Whoa, I hadn’t thought of it like that.
> 
> But I think it’s for the better, because I have absolutely changed as a person since I first started writing this series in 2014. I can’t believe this series has been 5 years in the making! Holy shit, that is my longest relationship ever (well, fic relationship, I mean).
> 
> I started planning this wedding fic back in 2014, mostly via email to Leah, and also screaming into the twitter void. A massive, special thank you goes to Leah for being her. She’s kind, patient, wonderful, and so very, very supportive. I honestly do not think that I could’ve done even half of this series without her. If I was into having babies, I would owe her my first three that’s how much she has done for me.
> 
> I have so many pics and the like saved in relation to this specific fic (dresses, shoes, venue location, etc, etc) but I feel like that would be long and boring. hmu if you want to be shown anything!
> 
>  
> 
> Alright, now, please let’s just pretend that I know things when it comes to; legal things, how laser tag is played, what the bookstore Gay’s The Word is like. All of my information comes from the internet, and then worked with my own imagination.
> 
> Warnings for this fic are in the tags, please let me know if there is anything that I have missed and need to add in.
> 
> This is weird, but I want to thank my cis girl Direction characters. Without them, I would be nothing. I love my lesbians, my bisexual babes, and all of the incredible women I write about in this universe. I love that 1% of the characters are males – that’s how things should be IRL too. The world would be a better place imo.
> 
> ALSO! Please note that in this universe, wlw have babies by scissoring. I figured that mpreg is a thing that people enjoy, and this is my world, so I’ve made it such. Which is why there wasn’t any scissoring in this universe – I have had this planned out for a _very_ long time, and I wanted this fic to explain that a little.
> 
>  
> 
> Also, thank you to Emma (for betaing some parts of this universe, and Brit-picking it for me, ily so much), and thank you to Jada for betaing this part, too.
> 
>  
> 
> And I’d better sign off before this becomes a dissertation on this fic universe because considering this series is over 400,000 FUCKING WORDS LONG, I bloody well _could_ do that. This series is over 400,000 words long. I feel like that Gru meme (from despicable me) where he’s looking at the paper. It’s on tumblr, I can’t be bothered finding it right now.
> 
> Anyway, please leave me comments if you liked this, it means more to me than you’ll ever know.
> 
> Now that this is over 700 words long, I’m going to leave my usual spiel:
> 
> Any leftover mistakes are my own. Please (kindly) tell me if you find something glaringly awful.
> 
>  
> 
> Please do not break the fourth wall and show this to anyone in the band, their family, friends, etc, etc. Thank you. ♥

~*~  
_Harry_

The final fitting of her wedding dress almost has Harry in tears.

“It’s so beautiful,” she says, staring at her reflection in the mirror. Tears prick the backs of her eyes as she takes in the entire dress. It sits _perfectly_ on her body, comfortable and not restrictive in the slightest, which she is thankful for. 

It’s a blush pink colour, the upper bodice sits flush against her body, sewn with hand embroidered flowers all over it. The flowers flow down to the skirt of the dress, which flares out from her upper hips. There’s intricate embroidery along the bottom of the dress as well that just brings the entire thing together.

Harry is absolutely _in love_ with it.

“Wow, that’s a big, poufy dress!” Niall exclaims as she exits her own changing room. 

Harry catches Niall’s gaze in the mirrors that she stands in front of. “Oh, Niall! You look fantastic!”

Niall grins and she gestures to the aubergine coloured dress she’s wearing. “This old thing?” she teases. “If I have to wear a dress, I’m glad it’s something that looks this good, and is _comfy_ too. I’d never forgive you if you put me in something as big as your dress.”

Harry rolls her eyes affectionately. “I’d never do that to you. Neither would Louis. Besides, all of the bridesmaids are matching.”

“Where’s the champagne? I need a drink,” Niall says, looking around. “And where’s Zayn? I thought she’d be in her dress by now.”

“It was still too big on her,” Harry replies, turning her gaze back to her reflection. She can’t stop touching the dress. It’s just _wonderful_. “So she’s getting it altered with the tailor in the other room.”

“More champagne, ladies?” Stacy, the shop assistant asks. She’s carrying a tray with three champagne glasses on it. 

“Leave the bottle,” Niall says with a grin. Stacy nods and sets the tray down. She returns a moment later with the bottle and sets it down on the tray, too. Niall chugs one glass and refills it before bringing a fresh one over to Harry.

“Well. What do you think?” she asks, accepting the glass from Niall. “Am I ready to get married?”

“I’d say so, yeah,” Niall replies. “You look fit as fuck, Haz. Like a princess, too.”

Harry beams. “That was the goal.”

“I’m going to pee, back in a few,” Niall says. She disappears, leaving Harry standing on the little platform in front of the mirror. 

She bites her lip, turning her body from side to side as she takes in the dress yet again. She feels like her entire relationship with Louis has been leading up to this very moment. And she can’t _wait_.

Their ups and downs have only made them stronger as a couple, and with that knowledge, Harry feels like she can take on anything that life throws at her and survive it. As long as Louis is by her side. And soon, she will legally be Louis’ wife. That prospect excites her so much. She’s absolutely giddy at the thought.

With everything that has happened this year, a part of her wasn’t one hundred percent sure that they would get here, but they’re defying all odds, and they’re doing it. They’re getting married in Paris – not soon enough, of course, but there are still things left to do before the wedding can take place.

Including getting Zayn’s bridesmaid dress altered properly so that she can wear it.

Harry turns as she catches sight of Zayn in the reflection of the mirror. She grins when Zayn stops short and just gapes at her.

“ _Harry_ ,” she breathes. “Holy fuck!”

Harry beams. “I _know_ , right?”

“Louis is going to _die_ when she sees you,” Zayn says. “God you look like a fairy tale princess.”

Harry can’t stop smiling. “I never want to take this dress off.”

“I’m not surprised. You look amazing.”

“Thank you,” Harry says. “You look fantastic, too. I’m so glad that your dress finally fits you!”

Zayn gives her a small smile. “It’s not my fault I don’t have hips, or tits, and no bum. It hung on me like a potato sack for ages, but it finally fits.”

Harry steps down off the platform and closes the distance between them. “You look beautiful. I’m so glad we chose two shades of purple to have the bridesmaids in. Because this lilac colour really brings out your eyes.”

Zayn ducks her head, blushing. 

“Holy fuck!” Niall exclaims as she appears. “Is my wife the sexiest or what?” She all but throws herself at Zayn, who catches her with sure arms. Niall kisses Zayn swiftly on the lips, making Zayn smile into their kiss. Harry watches them with fondness.

“Alright, break it up,” she says without heat. “Tell me how pretty I am.”

“Haz, you know that you look spectacular,” Niall says. 

Harry beams. “Good.” She then lets out a huge sigh. “I guess I had better take this off then.”

“Such a hardship,” Zayn teases.

“For _that_ you get no champagne,” Harry says, poking her tongue out at her friend. She grabs her glass and has a long sip, keeping her gaze on Niall and Zayn the entire time. 

Once they’re all out of the dresses and are in their everyday clothes again, Harry feels decidedly less like a princess, and more like someone who is on the verge of being _very_ tipsy if she isn’t careful. 

She isn’t careful. She has another glass of champagne just because she can. 

“I love you both so much,” Harry says when they stop on the thirteenth floor of their building. She leans heavily on the wall next to their front door and pats at Zayn’s arm. “Thank you for letting me keep my dress here. I don’t want Louis to see it before the big day.”

“Of course, Harry,” Niall says as she unlocks the door. “That’s what friends are for.”

“You guys are the _besht_. Besht. Besht. Beshtest?” she furrows her brow, confused.

“You’re _drunk_ ,” Niall says, sounding amused. “This is great.”

“I am not,” Harry protests. She sways a little on the spot as she pushes off the wall. “But I do need to sit down.”

Niall leads Harry into their flat, holding her hand the entire time until Harry is sitting down on their sofa. She pats at the soft cushions and smiles. 

“How much did you have to drink?” Zayn asks. She presses a glass of water into Harry’s hand and orders her to drink.

Harry holds up three fingers. Then the other two. And giggles. She sips at her water, trying her very hardest not to dribble, or to spill any on herself. Or the sofa. Which is so soft. How has she not noticed how soft this sofa is before?

“Yes, we get it, you like our sofa,” Niall says. Harry looks up at her, confused. “You said that out loud.”

“Oops,” Harry giggles. She puts her glass down on the coffee table with as much care as she can. 

“Get some rest, Harry,” Niall says, patting Harry’s hand. Harry pats Niall’s hand, too. That seems like fun. Niall’s hands are surprisingly soft. She figured that they’d be all rough and calloused from her guitar, but they’re very soft. 

“That’s your own hand you’re patting, Harry,” Niall says, showing Harry her own hands. “That champagne must’ve had more alcohol in it than I thought.”

Harry nods and tips over on the sofa, giggling as its softness touches her cheek.

It’s a good few hours later when she wakes up. Her head hurts a ridiculous amount and she groans, keeping her eyes shut. There’s a glass of water and a strip of paracetamol sitting on the coffee table. She reaches for them, taking two tablets and drinking the entire glass of water in one go.

There’s also a note folded in half that was under the tablets. She grabs it and unfolds it, trying to get her eyes to focus on Niall’s handwriting. She puts the note down without having read it, unable to concentrate enough. She makes her way through the flat to find the toilet and relieve herself. 

By the time she wanders back into the lounge room, she’s feeling marginally better. She reads over Niall’s note, which just explains that they went out for lunch and would be back before dinner. 

Harry’s stomach grumbles loudly. She hasn’t eaten since yesterday. She mostly skipped breakfast as she was too nervous about trying on her dress to have anything other than a small banana to eat. She’s regretting it now, though.

She collects her things and locks the front door behind her before making her way to the lifts. She reaches her and Louis’ flat and sighs in relief at being home. It doesn’t take her too long to make something to eat for lunch and she moans at the first bite, closing her eyes as she savours it. 

The food is quickly consumed and Harry glances up at the clock, quickly calculating how much longer until Louis gets home. She figures that she has enough time to pop down to the community centre just to check in and see how everything’s going. She’s technically on leave already, and will be for the duration of the honeymoon, but Harry can’t keep away from the centre for too long. 

She’s even decided to go to university part time when she and Louis get back from their honeymoon. So that she’s able to get her law degree and keep working at the community centre as much as she can.

Unfortunately, she had to give up the bakery job shortly after her birthday this year. The community centre needed her a lot more than the bakery did. She still owns it, she just doesn’t work there anymore. It made her incredibly sad to give it up, but she tries to go in at least once a month to see how everyone is, and to catch up with Barbra, who works the occasional shift of her own. She says that she likes to keep busy, even at her age. Harry hopes that she’s the same when she’s in her seventies.

After Harry has cleaned up her mess from lunch, she grabs her handbag, making sure that her purse, keys, and phone are securely inside it before she sets off for the community centre.

~*~

Harry circles the table again, mentally counting how many items she’s already put in the bags. She checks the list that she has attached to her clipboard and grins. She’s more than half way done and it’s just shortly after noon. She sets her clipboard down and wanders out of the conference room that she’s in.

“Hey, Gina,” Harry says. “Is Louis in?”

Gina nods. “Yeah, she got back about five minutes ago. I think she’s ready for you.”

“Thanks.” Harry knocks on Louis’ office door and pushes it open. She pokes her head in and grins when she sees Louis sitting at her desk, typing away on her laptop.

“Just _one_ more sec, love.”

Harry closes the door behind her and waits patiently for Louis to finish her work. 

“And done!” Louis says. She shuts her laptop with a satisfied smile and stands up. “Aren’t _you_ a sight for sore eyes?”

“You just saw me two hours ago,” Harry says, though she can’t help but smile. She closes the distance between them and kisses Louis softly on the lips. “Ready to get some lunch? We’ve got an hour and I’m starving.”

“Me too,” Louis says with a nod. She unlocks her desk drawers and puts her laptop in one before locking it again. She pockets the key before turning to the small refrigerator she had put in her office at the start of the year. She gets out their lunches and passes them to Harry to hold while she gets their drinks as well.

“Here or in the staff room?” 

Harry hums. “Staff room? That way you’re actually getting out of your office for a bit?”

“Sounds good, princess,” Louis agrees with a smile. “How’s the gift bags going?”

“Good,” Harry says as they exit Louis’ office. “Thank you for letting me use your conference room, by the way. There’s just no way that I’d be able to do this at home, or at the centre.”

“Of course,” Louis replies. She opens the door to the staff room which has half a dozen staff members already in the midst of their lunch breaks. “It’s not being used this week, and if there’s any meetings that need to be held, there’s three other conference rooms that can be used.”

“The perks of being the boss’ fiancée,” Harry says with a grin. 

They head for the corner table at the back of the room and sit together. It’s nice being able to be here at Louis’ place of work and have lunch with her. Harry had been stupidly excited to make their lunches at home that morning before coming in. Louis had already been at work an hour before Harry had got there, which forced her to stop and to have a cup of tea with Harry.

It’s not something that Harry has experienced a lot – being here at Louis’ office. The atmosphere is entirely different to what it was when she first entered a relationship with Louis. There has been quite a turnover of staff. Louis had been adamant about getting rid of people who couldn’t stop their gossiping, which had freed up a lot more spaces than either of them thought it would.

And now the office has about seventy-five percent of women working in it, and Louis says that since the change happened, productivity has increased significantly, there are less in-office arguments, and more cohesiveness on the whole. To see Louis this happy at work makes Harry happy for her, too. 

She knows that after the tape came out, the office wasn’t a good place for Louis. But to see how all of that has changed makes Harry _so happy_ for not only Louis, but Tomlinson Enterprises as well. 

She and Louis chat about wedding things while they eat lunch, and Harry can’t help but smile. Every time she thinks about the wedding, she can’t help but smile. 

“…The flowers are all set, the chateau staff have received our menus, and have that under control,” Louis says, reading the list off her phone. “The seating chart is _finally_ finished as the final guest list has been confirmed. That’s a load off my shoulders, by the way. You’re doing the gift bags now, which can be shipped to Paris when you’re done. Looks like everything is on schedule!” 

“Have Lottie and Fizzy got their dresses yet?” Harry asks before taking a bite of food. 

Louis nods. “The designer had them sent over at the start of the week and there’s no alterations to be made, thankfully. Mum’s dress arrives today, and mine will be finished tomorrow.”

Harry lets out a squeak of excitement. “I can’t wait to see you in it!”

“On the sixteenth, you will,” Louis teases. Harry pouts, but leans close to give Louis a kiss anyway. 

“Niall texted to say that she likes her bridesmaid dress,” Louis continues. “I’m relieved that she hasn’t protested too much about wearing a dress.”

Harry grins, taking a sip of her drink. “She secretly loves it. I caught her whispering to Zayn about how much she likes her dress.”

Louis grins. “I love her,” she says. “Every day is something new with her.”

“There’s never a dull moment around the Maliks, that’s for sure,” Harry agrees. 

There’s more people in the staff room once they’ve finished eating. Harry gets up to make Louis a cup of tea, and a couple of the women that Harry recognises are from the public relations team join Louis at the table. She smiles to herself, taking their mugs back over to the table. She sets Louis’ in front of her and sits down, placing her hand on Louis’ thigh in comfort. 

The conversation turns to sport and Harry tunes it out. She’s glad that Louis has workers to chat about football with, as her face lights up whenever she talks about the Rovers. 

When their hour is up, Louis says her goodbyes and they leave the staff room. She walks Louis to her office, wandering in and closing the door behind her. She presses Louis up against the desk and gives her a long, passionate kiss. It doesn’t have any _real_ heat behind it – it wouldn’t do either of them any good to get distracted by being too horny. But it makes Louis’ eyes go a little glassy and her breath stutter, and that’s enough for Harry. She gives Louis a lingering look before she leaves her office, closing the door firmly behind her.

Gone are the days where she would actively pursue having sex with Louis in her office. Not that she still wouldn’t, of course, but there are some things that they try to keep as much out of public as possible, and sex is definitely one of them. 

Which isn’t to say they still aren’t adventurous, of course. Just last week they had used the play room for the second time since they started having sex again. Harry’s body tingles at the memory. She bites her lip as she walks around the perimeter of the table, thinking about how utterly mind blowing it had been.

But since the release of the sex tape, and Louis’ subsequent breakdown, they have been a lot more careful about how much they share with people in regards to their private lives. And as Harry has grown older, she realises that it’s a good thing. There are some things that are just for her and Louis alone.

And sometimes are for Niall and Zayn to hear about when Harry has had one too many glasses of wine and is feeling a little frisky. She trusts Niall and Zayn with her life, though, so she knows there are no worries of exposure there. That’s what best friends are for, after all.

Harry picks up the next box, holding it against her hip as she walks around the table, putting one of each item in the gift bags that line the table. It had been her idea, this time, to have gift bags for their guests. And Harry had been more than happy to assemble them when she suggested it, considering how much work Louis had been putting into every other aspect of the wedding planning.

Just _now_ though, her feet are starting to hurt, and her back aches a little. She kicks off her shoes and sighs as her feet come into contact with the carpeted floor. The box eventually grows lighter in her hands, and soon enough, it’s empty. She sets it with the others and checks off the next item on her checklist. 

“Three more to go,” she mutters to herself, stretching her arms above her head. Her music loops around again, her working playlist helping keep her entertained enough as she circles the table for what feels like the millionth time.

By the time Harry is _finally_ done, she feels like she could collapse. She does the next best thing and sits on the floor. Except she knows that she can’t stay there for long, a thought that has her pouting. She has to put all of these bags into the perfectly sized storage boxes she purchased so that they don’t fall over and lose all of their insides during transit. It probably would have been a lot easier to do this in Paris, of course, but Harry wants to cut down on what she has to do when they get to Paris as much as she can. This was one of the tasks. She could have also hired someone to do this for her, but she wants their guests to know that it was Harry who made all of them – so that they’re filled with her love. Though, at the moment, it’s mostly her annoyance as she stares at them, willing them to fit into the boxes themselves so she doesn’t have to move.

With a grunt, Harry gets up off the floor and starts putting the bags into the boxes, securing each lid with several loud snaps of plastic on plastic as she goes. She sings along to her playlist, bobbing her head along with the beat. 

When the last box is done, Harry grins. She snaps a photo of her progress and sends it to show Louis, too proud to keep it to herself. Now all she has to do is get them from the office into the van of the courier company, and that is one less thing she has to worry about. But first, she deserves another cup of tea, and another kiss off her fiancée. She thinks that she’s earned it.

~*~

The sigh that escapes Harry’s lips is growing increasingly frustrated. She closes her notebook with a huff and brings her hands to her head to rub at her temples.

Writing her own vows is _hard_. 

She has no idea why she and Louis agreed to write their own vows – she has no idea what to even say. Or how to even _begin_.

With another huff, she gets up and leaves the office, locking the door behind her. She would much rather be packing gift bags again than writing her own vows. She wanders into her and Louis’ bedroom and goes straight into the walk-in wardrobe to put some clothes on. She hangs her dressing gown up and hastily gets dressed.

She’s taken to wearing more colour again these days. It’s like a breath of fresh air to wear pink and feel _good_ about herself. Though, she has taken a liking to black skinny jeans, and she now understands why Zayn likes them so much.

As Harry rides the lift down to the thirteenth floor, she goes over the list in her head of everything that still needs to be done before the wedding. She knocks on Zayn and Niall’s door, bouncing on the balls of her feet while waiting for her friends to answer.

What she isn’t expecting is to see Niall answer the door, looking particularly dishevelled. She bites her bottom lip, grinning. There’s a love bite blooming on Niall’s neck and the glassiness to her eyes suggest that Harry has definitely interrupted them getting hot and heavy.

“Never mind,” Harry says before Niall can say anything. “Have fun!” Niall shakes her head, smiling. 

“You have shit timing, Harry,” Niall says. “But thank you.”

Harry winks at Niall and turns on her heel, heading for the lifts again. 

There goes her plan to ask Niall and Zayn for help writing her vows. As she climbs into her car, Harry realises that there’s another happily married couple nearby that she can ask for help. With that thought in mind, she makes the drive to Liam and Sophia’s.

Liam’s home with Willow when Harry gets there. 

“Soph’s at the studio,” Liam explains. “Willow and I are just having lunch, you’re welcome to join us.”

“Thanks,” Harry says. She closes the front door behind herself and wanders through to the kitchen. 

Willow gives her a big smile when she sees Harry and Harry bends down to kiss the top of Willow’s head. 

“Hello, sweet one,” she says softly.

“Ree!” Willow exclaims happily. Harry grins at her name coming from Willow. She loves that she’s starting to speak. It’s amazing to experience.

“What are you having for lunch?” Harry asks Liam who has sat back down in front of Willow to feed her.

“I was just going to get a sandwich.”

“I’ll make us some food,” Harry says. She busies herself making them lunch, keeping as much out of Liam and Willow’s way as she can so Willow will eat her food properly. 

Once she’s finished, she sets their plates on the kitchen table and pulls up a seat on the opposite side of the table from Liam and Willow. Willow’s attention goes to Harry so she makes a kissy noise in Willow’s direction. 

“I think we’re done,” Liam says. “Here you go.” She cleans Willow up and gives her a teething rusk to chew on. 

“She’s doing really well with eating,” Harry comments.

Liam smiles proudly. “She is. It’s been… well, it’s been an adventure getting her to try different things. So far there’s been no allergic reactions, and she’s loved everything we’ve given her. Some things are just more fun to smush than eat, though.”

Harry grins, taking a bite of her own food. 

They’re half way through lunch when Harry remembers that she had a purpose for her visit. She tells Liam that she’s struggling to write her vows and asks if Liam has any opinions for her.

“Just write from the heart,” Liam says. “You know that you’re going to be with her for better or worse – you’ve already been through both together, so that’s not an issue. But say the things that you love about her, the things that you’re looking forward to about your lives together. Stuff like that.”

Harry unlocks her phone and opens the Notes app to type all of this out. She hopes that something cohesive will come to her when she looks over it later.

“Thanks,” Harry replies. 

Liam picks up her glass and has a long sip. “When Sophia and I got married, I remember stressing about my vows for _weeks_. In the end, we both said something about always being there for each other, promising to love each other, and that’s about it. That’s all you need, really.”

“I just want it to be perfect,” Harry says. She fiddles with her glass of water and sighs. “With everything that Louis has been through – with everything that _we_ have been through this year, I want this wedding to be something that we can both look back on and think that it was the happiest day of our lives.”

Liam gives her a crinkly-eyed smile. “It will be,” she says. “This wedding has been a long time coming. It’s literally going to be a fairy tale wedding in a castle–”

“Chateau,” Harry automatically corrects.

Liam rolls her eyes as she continues, “And no matter what happens, you’re both going to look back on this day and remember how utterly in love with each other you were, and how you felt. And that’s what counts.”

“I know,” Harry says softly. “Thank you.”

“Any time,” Liam replies. They both finish eating their lunch, interjecting stories about Willow into the conversation. 

“She’s going to look so cute in her dress for the wedding,” Harry says. “It’s a pity she isn’t big enough to be a flower girl.” She pouts and Willow makes a happy noise in Harry’s direction. She can’t help but grin at her. 

Willow hands out her rusk to Harry. 

“For me?” she asks. Willow makes a noise and then stuffs the rusk back into her mouth. Harry laughs. She leans over and kisses the top of Willow’s head. “Such a kind girl.”

“She’s been doing that a lot lately,” Liam comments. “We just started taking her to play group, so she’s learning how to share, and how to cry when things don’t go her way.”

Harry snorts. “Sounds fun.”

Liam makes a face. “It’s been _something_.” 

Harry stacks her and Liam’s empty plates and takes them to the sink to wash. By the time she’s finished, the rusk in Willow’s hand is mostly mush, so she cleans Willow up and Liam gets her out of her high chair.

“C’mon, let Auntie Harry read to you for a bit,” Harry says, taking Willow from Liam. She gets them settled on the sofa, both Willow, and a book in her arms. She reads slowly, biting back her laughter when Willow leans forwards to try and put the book into her mouth. 

By the time she’s finished the book, Willow is sound asleep in her arms.

“I honestly don’t know how you do it,” Liam says softly from the other side of the room, amazement on her face. “That _never_ works for Soph or me.”

Harry beams up at her. “An auntie’s touch is like nothing else.”

Liam takes Willow and puts her to bed, wandering back out a few minutes later with the baby monitor. She sits down and closes her eyes. Harry gets up and makes them a cup of tea each. She re-joins Liam a few minutes later, placing their mugs on the coffee table. 

“Thanks,” Liam says. She leans forwards and has a sip of her tea. “So. Do you feel better about your vows?”

Harry nods. “A bit. I’ll feel better once I’ve written them out, though. I just want to be satisfied with the result.”

“Understandable.”

Harry sips at her tea, mind going over everything in her notes that Liam gave her. She thinks that she has something workable, which is better than what she had earlier, that’s for certain.

Hours later, when she’s back home, her journal in front of her as she writes out the things that happened in her day, inspiration strikes. She quickly pulls out her notebook that has her vow drafts in it and jots down some ideas. She grins at her work, eager to finally have something that resembles what she wants to say to Louis. 

It feels _good_ to have it down in words.

~*~

“Excellent choice,” Andrew, the sales assistant says to Harry.

She gives him a smile, happy that she finally chose something. Louis’ hand is warm on the small of her back and she hums her agreement. 

“Yeah, I like that,” she agrees with a nod. Her lips brush against Harry’s bare shoulder ever so slightly, making Harry’s skin tingle all over. 

“I hope they all like them,” Harry says as Andrew pulls the tray from the display cabinet and setting it on the top. He pulls on a pair of white gloves to handle the jewellery that they’ve chosen and is demonstrating his gentle touch as he places each piece in their respective boxes. 

“I’m sure they will,” Louis says reassuringly. “These sets are _amazing_ , Harry. You have great taste.”

Harry smiles, leaning into Louis a little. She pushes a strand of Louis’ hair over her shoulder and sighs softly. Choosing gifts for their bridesmaids had been easy. They wanted everyone to have matching earrings and necklaces that would complement their dresses. But choosing gifts for their mums had been another story. 

Of course Harry wanted everything to be perfect. She wanted their mothers to know how much thought went into choosing their gifts. What Harry didn’t really count on was being overwhelmed by the choices there were in this amazing jewellery store that she and Louis had found called _Monica Vinader_. 

As it was, Harry wanted to buy everything. It was all so pretty and she could see herself wearing it all. But today wasn’t about shopping for _her_ , it was about choosing mother of the bride gifts for their mums. 

Eventually, Harry saw a set that she couldn’t take her eyes off. It was a delicate set of a necklace, bracelet, and earrings in a beautiful rose gold colour. She had been torn when she first saw it – she was going to be wearing rose gold jewellery during the wedding, but the pieces were too beautiful to pass up.

“Everyone is going to be looking at you all day, anyway, princess,” Louis had mumbled into her shoulder not even moments before. 

Harry is absolutely thrilled with their selections. Andrew is taking the utmost care with the pieces, even gift wrapping the boxes for them. Harry can’t wait to see the expressions on their mums’ faces when they open them. 

Things are all really coming together for this wedding, and Harry couldn’t be more excited if she tried.

“What time is Gemma getting in?” Louis asks as they leave the shop, the bag containing their purchases in her hand. 

“Noon,” Harry replies. “Mum is picking them up from Heathrow, and they’re going straight to Mum’s house.”

Louis nods, sliding her hand into Harry’s. Harry gives her a grin at the touch. “I bet Anne is excited to see Gemma.”

“She is,” Harry says. They turn the corner and approach Louis’ Porsche. “I am too. I’m looking forward to dinner tonight.”

Louis’ smile makes Harry’s insides flutter. “Me too.”

Harry leans over and kisses Louis softly on the lips. “I love you.”

“I love you too.” 

Harry sighs when they part. She’s thrilled every single time that Louis shows easy affection like she used to. It’s been a long road, but she’s so _happy_ that things are finally back on track between them. When she feels as good as this, it’s hard to think that she thought there was ever a time they might not get here. She’s so grateful that they are, though.

Later, Harry drives over to her Mum’s house and grins when she unlocks the front door and hears Gemma’s beautiful laughter filling the room. She quickly puts her things down and makes her way through to the kitchen where Gemma, their mum, and Anissa are sitting, having cups of tea.

She laughs when Gemma hugs her tightly and buries her face in her sister’s neck.

“God I’ve missed you,” Harry mumbles into Gemma’s neck. 

“Me too, squirt,” Gemma says affectionately. She pulls back and looks Harry up and down. “Have you somehow managed to get even taller?”

Harry shakes her head. She sticks a foot out and shows the shoes she’s wearing. “I’m six-two with these shoes on.”

Gemma heaves a sigh the way only sisters can. “You’re so ridiculously tall.”

Harry grins. “Louis hates it. She only loves it because I can reach things in the kitchen, but she grumbles about being so short. But five-eight is not _that_ short.”

“Is she wearing heels for the wedding then? Or is she going to stand on a stool so that she can be eye level with you?” Gemma teases. 

Harry laughs. She putters around the kitchen, making herself a cup of tea, too. “She’s got this amazing pair of shoes. It annoys me that we don’t have the same size feet because I’d love to wear them.”

“Small mercies, I think,” Anne says. 

“Hi, Anissa, sorry for ignoring you there,” Harry says as she sets her cup down on the table. She leans over and gives Anissa a brief hug before sitting down.

“No apology necessary,” Anissa replies easily, giving Harry a warm smile.

She listens to the chatter of her family as she drinks her tea, happy to just bask in their presence. Gemma and Anissa share their stories of living overseas and how they’re both doing what they love, and it makes Harry both sad and happy. Sad that she doesn’t get to partake in this with her sister, but happy that Gemma is doing what she loves.

“We’re actually thinking of moving back to London,” Gemma says an hour later.

Harry immediately perks up, her eyes widening dramatically. “Yes, please!”

Gemma’s lips quirk up. “My job is flexible, but Niss has been offered a job out here.”

“It’d be hard to be away from my family,” Anissa says when everyone turns to look at her. Gemma reaches over and places her hand on top of Anissa’s own. Harry bites back a smile when their fingers automatically lace together. 

“Whatever you decide, we’ll support you,” Anne says kindly. 

Harry nods. “One hundred percent.” 

Gemma gives her a fond smile and Harry beams at her. 

“Dad should be home any minute,” Anne says. She gets up and clears their cups. Harry jumps up to help her.

“Louis says she’ll meet us at the restaurant,” Harry says. “She’s spending the afternoon with Liam at the office sorting out some last minute things.”

“How is she, by the way?” Gemma asks. “You know, after… _everything_?”

Harry nods, fiddling with the tea towel in her hands. “She’s good. Better. Well, _doing_ better. We’re in therapy once a week. Twice for Louis, because she has her solo appointments, too. But she’s doing loads better.”

“Gemma told me everything that happened,” Anissa says. “I hope that’s okay?”

Harry gives her a soft smile. “Of course it is,” she replies. “Louis’ just been through a lot. We’ve worked hard to get here.”

“We can tell,” Gemma says. “You’re not texting me at four in the morning anymore. I can only take that as a good sign.”

A stab of guilt goes through Harry. “Yeah.” She sets the towel in her hands down. “Anyway, I’d appreciate it if no one brings up the tape, or anything relating to it, please.”

“Of course,” Anne says, gently resting her hand on Harry’s shoulder. “No one wants to bring up such a horrid topic.”

“Thank you,” Harry replies gratefully. 

The front door sounds and Robin’s voice calls out, indicating that he’s home now. He gives Anne a loving kiss, and Harry automatically looks over to Gemma to pull a face at her.

“None of that,” Anne admonishes with a wave of her hand. “I’ve seen worse from both of you put together.”

Harry gives her a cheeky grin. “Lies and slander,” she teases. 

“Anissa and I are going to have a walk before dinner,” Gemma says. “We’ll be back soon.”

“Alright, love,” Anne says with a nod. 

Once Gemma and Anissa have left, Harry turns to her mum, bouncing on the balls of her feet.

“They’re the cutest,” she says with a grin. 

Anne gives her a smile. “They are.”

“Do you think they’re going to move back to London? I hope so, I miss Gemma a lot.”

Anne pauses. “I know that she loves it over there, but I’d like to see her more, too.”

Harry grins. “Me too.” She finishes putting away their dishes from earlier. “Are we still on for _Wicked_ tomorrow night?”

Anne nods. “Of course we are, sweetheart.”

“I am so excited,” Harry says, turning to lean against the counter. “I haven’t been to the theatre in so long.”

“Me either,” Anne replies as she wipes over the kitchen table with a cloth. “Dad and I went to see _The Lion King_ a few months ago. It was quite a show.”

“Ooh, I want to see that, too,” Harry says. She chews on her bottom lip in thought. She hopes that it’s still playing when she and Louis get back from their honeymoon.

“I’m going to go and get ready for dinner,” Anne says after a while. 

Harry nods. “Yeah, me too. I have a dress in the car.”

She heads out to her car parked in the driveway and pulls out the garment bag that she has lying across the backseat. She wanders up to her old room, feeling a little pang of sadness as she sees that it’s been transformed into a guest room. 

Upon seeing that Anissa’s bag _isn’t_ in here, she figures that Anissa and Gemma are staying in Gemma’s old room together. She isn’t surprised, especially since Gemma told her that just before Christmas she and Anissa moved in together. She still can’t believe that Gemma has been with Anissa for more than a year now. It makes her so happy for her sister. 

Harry sits down at the vanity in her underwear. She pulls out the scrapbook that she’s been secretly creating leading up to the wedding. It’s a thick, white book, with a material cover. It has a window in the front cover for a photo to be placed in it. Right now, there’s just a photo of she and Louis from their engagement. She can’t wait for there to be a photo of their wedding to take its place.

A couple of times a week, Harry has been popping over to her mum’s place while Louis is at work, or whenever she had a spare hour, to work on this scrapbook. It’s her present to Louis – a journey of their lives up to this wedding. 

She has been keeping everything as meticulous as possible, working on one page, or one double spread, at a time. She has plenty of photos to put in the album, along with other little keepsakes. And while a part of her wanted to include about their struggles, she didn’t want to open this wedding scrapbook in years to come and be reminded of the sex tape featuring Louis and some other woman. No, that information was for her journal and her journal alone. They didn’t deserve to be reminded of such ugliness when they were preparing for the happiest event of their lives.

There’s pages that Harry has left blank in the back for once the wedding has happened. She can’t wait to fill them in, too. It brings her so much joy to look through this.

She finished it early last week, and hasn’t had a proper chance to look through it again. She turns each page with care, unable to stop smiling as she sees the highlights of their time being engaged. Predictably, there are a fair few pages dedicated to their time abroad. She smiles, stroking over the clear plastic protector when she sees Eve’s face. 

It’s been a few weeks since she’s spoken to Eve, but they kept their promises to keep in touch. Louis has already booked Eve’s ticket to come to the wedding, and Harry is looking forward to seeing her, and hearing about how her last year of secondary school went. She still can’t believe that it was only a year ago that they were in Amsterdam and met Eve on the street after they went clubbing. 

That evening literally changed their lives – both Louis’ and Harry’s, but also Eve’s as well. After that night, she never had to be homeless again. The charities that Louis set up both in Amsterdam and in London are thriving, despite the fallout from the sex tape being released. Harry, of course, works at the LGBTQIA plus community centre still, and absolutely loves it. It’s the best job she’s ever had. And she’s looking forward to keeping on working there even while attending university when she and Louis get back from their honeymoon.

She’s going to the University of Cambridge part time. Which she hopes will be more manageable for her. Not only with the commute, but for her workloads, too. Harry wants to be able to work at the community centre as much as possible while attending university. Both are huge passions of hers, and she knows that she can excel at both if she’s given the chance to.

Last month, she and Louis drove to Cambridge to take a tour of the university. Harry was thoroughly impressed. It still hasn’t really sunk in that she’ll be attending there next year. She’s excited at the prospect, but it still hasn’t quite hit her that she’ll be actively working towards becoming a lawyer. 

A knock on her bedroom door startles Harry. She blinks and looks up. 

“Come in,” she says, glancing towards the door. 

Gemma’s head pops around. “You’re not even dressed yet,” she says. 

“Oh,” Harry blinks again. She closes over the scrapbook, which catches Gemma’s eye.

“Is this it, then?” she asks, coming into the room.

“Yeah,” Harry says. She pats the outside of it once before getting up. She unzips the garment bag that she had lain across the bed and she pulls out her dress. It comes to mid-thigh and swishes gently against her skin. She zips it up, wriggling her body to get it to sit properly. She has a pair of flats that she keeps in the car that she’ll also change into when they get to the restaurant. 

“This is _incredible_ , Harry,” Gemma says, awe lacing her voice. Harry wanders back over to where her sister is flicking through the book. “You’ve put in so much detail.”

Harry shrugs. “I want to be able to look over this in a few years and remember _exactly_ how I felt. And I want the same for Louis, too.”

Gemma closes the book and gives Harry a tight hug. “I’m so proud of you.”

“Thanks,” Harry whispers into Gemma’s hair. 

“I still can’t believe you’re getting _married_ ,” Gemma says when they part. “The sixteenth is so close now.”

Harry can’t help but smile. “I know. I’m so excited.”

Gemma laughs. She brushes Harry’s hair over her shoulder and lets her hand linger on her upper arm. “We’d better go. Mum and Dad are waiting.”

Harry nods. “Let me just put this away.” She picks up the hefty book and stows it away again, making sure that the box is secure and unassuming in its location. Once she’s satisfied, Harry picks up her garment bag and zips it up again. “Ready,” she says.

They go to Russo’s because it’s a family favourite. Louis’ car is there when they arrive. Harry quickly changes into her flats and locks her car behind her. 

“I picked up a couple of strays,” Louis says, approaching Harry. She points over her shoulder to where Niall and Zayn are leaning against her car, looking at something on one of their phones. Harry grins.

“They’re more than welcome,” Harry replies. She steps into Louis’ arms and gives her a soft, lingering kiss. 

They all get their hugs out of the way when Gemma and Anissa get out of Anne and Robin’s car after it pulls in a few minutes later. Gemma and Niall hug the longest, making everyone roll their eyes at the pair. Unsurprisingly, Gemma and Niall fall into step and they head into the restaurant ahead of everyone else.

Harry slings her arm around Zayn’s shoulders and kisses the side of her head. 

“You look cute,” Zayn says, poking Harry in the side. “And you’re even wearing a bra.”

Harry snorts. “I figured I’d better since we’re out for tea. And thank you. You look cute, too.” They follow the crowd through to the private function room in the back and Harry sits down next to Louis. The table is a circular one, which Harry likes because it means she can see everyone without much struggle. Zayn sits on Louis’ other side, and everyone else chooses their spots, filling the seats. Robin sits down on Harry’s other side and she grins at him.

“You’re somehow always the only guy in the group, hey, Dad?” she lightly teases.

“Wouldn’t have it any other way,” Robin replies. Harry grins at him and plucks her napkin from the table to fold over her lap. 

“Me either,” Harry agrees. 

Dinner is delicious and entertaining. Harry watches with amusement as Niall and Gemma catch up on their lives like they haven’t spoken almost every single week since they saw each other last. Zayn and Louis lose themselves in a conversation that Harry can’t even hear, and it warms her hear so much to see both of them smiling so easily at each other. 

Thankfully Anissa isn’t left out, as Harry, Anne, and Robin all engage her in conversation as much as possible. Harry really likes Anissa. She thinks that she’s a great fit for her sister. And she’s secretly hoping that they do move to London so that she can spend some more time with Anissa and get to know her properly. 

By the time dinner is over, Harry is tired. She yawns and leans heavily against Louis.

“Harry, can I borrow your car?” Gemma asks when they get to the car park. “I want to show Anissa some places before bed.”

“Of course,” Harry replies. She fishes her keys out of her handbag and passes them over. “Let me just grab my shoes.”

Once she has them in hand, she joins Louis, Niall, and Zayn in the car and relaxes against the seat. 

“Is it bed time yet?” she asks.

Louis laughs, placing her hand on Harry’s thigh. Heat immediately blooms where Louis’ hand rests. “When we get home it will be.”

“Yay,” Harry says tiredly. She closes her eyes as Louis starts the car and tries not to drift off on the short drive home.

~*~

Harry gasps, struggling for breath. One hand clutches Louis’ shoulder tightly, the other trying to find a place to hold on the slick tiles behind her. She gulps, trying to breathe in air and not water from the shower. Her chest heaves, lungs burning as Louis’ hand works between her legs. Her head thuds against the tiles as she tilts it backwards, pleasure washing over her.

“Oh, _fuck_ ,” she moans. Louis’ hand changes angles and Harry shudders, pushing down into the touch. She grabs for something to hold onto that isn’t Louis’ body, her thighs shaking where she stands. 

She inhales sharply at the pressure change and moans as her orgasm hits her with an intensity that has her giggling. She bites down on her lip, eyes closed, enjoying the feeling of coming by Louis’ hand. She struggles to get her breathing back under control, sighing softly when Louis’ lips touch her wet neck.

“That was good,” she whispers. 

Louis nods. “It was.” She reaches over and turns off the taps. “My legs are _still_ shaking.”

Pride blooms in Harry’s chest. She gets out of the shower after Louis, plucking her towel from the rack to dry off. She hums contentedly, wrapping her towel around her body before wandering into their bedroom.

“Are you _sure_ you have to go out?” Louis asks, climbing up onto their bed, stark naked. Harry’s gaze rakes over her body, taking in the water droplets still clinging to her skin. Her tongue darts out to lick her suddenly dry lips and she hastily abandons her towel to climb up on the bed next to Louis.

“I’m struggling to remember why I do,” Harry replies, leaning over Louis.

Louis’ hand reaches up, cupping the back of Harry’s neck. “Good.” Their lips meet in a soft, but passionate kiss. 

Harry manoeuvres herself so she’s on top of Louis, settling between her spread legs. She steadies herself on her arms, careful not to crush Louis underneath her. She trails kisses down the side of Louis’ neck, over her clavicle and between her breasts. She takes one of Louis’ nipples into her mouth, rolling the bud with her tongue. Louis moans underneath her, her hand resting on the back of Harry’s head. 

“Fuck,” Louis moans softly, arching into Harry’s mouth. “Harry, _please_.”

Just that word alone makes Harry wet all over again. She releases the nipple and moves to the other one, repeating the same actions on it. She gently tugs at it with her teeth, pulling off with a soft pop. 

“Can’t wait to taste you, Lou,” Harry breathes, looking up at Louis, taking in her cheeks flushed with arousal. Louis nods, her eyes fluttering closed. Harry kisses Louis’ stomach and shifts lower until her mouth is right over Louis’ pubic mound. 

She presses a lingering kiss to the skin there just to hear Louis’ breath hitch in her throat. She gently parts Louis’ folds and licks a fat stripe upwards, pointing her tongue at the last moment to flick over Louis’ clit. Louis moans, hips moving downwards automatically. Harry buries her face in Louis’ pussy, closing her eyes as she lets the familiarity of eating Louis out overtake her. She knows that she’s moaning just as much as Louis is, but she can’t help it. She will never tire of doing this. 

Harry loves the taste of Louis on her tongue. She slides it inside of Louis’ entrance, feeling Louis’ walls immediately clamping down around the intrusion. She thumbs over Louis’ clit while she fucks her tongue into Louis with slow, sure movements. 

“Fuck, _Harry_ ,” Louis whines. Her hand tightens in Harry’s hair, fingers tugging her hair _just_ so. It makes Harry wetter. 

Her nose drags against Louis’ clit as she moves upwards, following the action with her tongue. She sucks the sensitive nub into her mouth, flicking her hardened tongue over it. The high-pitched whine she gets for her efforts makes Harry’s entire body sing.

Sooner than she’d like, Louis’ thighs are trembling around her head, indicating that she is close to coming. Harry changes tactics, burying her tongue inside of Louis again while she rubs her thumb vigorously over Louis’ clit. She feels Louis’ walls clench and unclench around her tongue as she orgasms, coating Harry’s tongue in her warm wetness. Harry moans, licking Louis completely clean. 

When Louis’ legs have stopped shaking on either side of her head, Harry moves. She kisses the inside of Louis’ thigh, lingering there long enough to nip at the soft flesh before moving upwards and collapsing next to Louis on the bed. 

“ _Fuck_ ,” Louis says, grinning from ear to ear. 

Harry beams back at her, resting her hand on Louis’ stomach. She plays with the piercing in her belly button for a few moments. “Thank you.”

Louis laughs and rolls over into Harry’s arms. “I love you so much.”

“I love you too,” Harry returns. She rests her head on top of Louis’ as she burrows into Harry’s arms, clinging to her. 

“We’re so good at sex.”

Harry huffs out a laugh. “Yeah, we are,” she agrees. She smooths her hand down Louis’ hair, fingers pressing against Louis’ scalp _just_ so. Louis sighs against her at the touch. 

“I’ve made you late, haven’t I?” Louis mumbles a few minutes later. 

“Mm, not that late,” Harry replies. “But I do have to put on clothes and go out.” She feels more than hears Louis’ pout. Louis nips at the skin of Harry’s body that she can reach. Thankfully not hard enough to leave a mark. 

It takes a few minutes, but Harry eventually manages to extract herself from Louis’ hold. She takes their towels back into the bathroom and washes her face again. She brushes her teeth for good measure before wandering back into the bedroom. Louis is burrowed under the covers, making the bed look far more inviting than it has the right to, Harry thinks. 

She steps into the wardrobe, pulling on some underwear first before taking a dress off the rack. 

“If it were anyone but Anne, I’d convince you to stay,” Louis says. 

All Harry can see is tufts of Louis’ hair poking above the covers. “If it were anyone but my mum, you wouldn’t have to convince me at all. I’d be in there with you.”

Louis sighs. “At least don’t wear knickers or something with your dress. Give me something to masturbate to.”

Harry can’t help but laugh. “You’re _insatiable_.”

She crosses the room and tugs the covers down enough to see that Louis is _very_ much naked underneath them. She leans over and kisses Louis long and slow, and a little bit filthy. She reaches under the dress she just put on and tugs her knickers down. She drops them on Louis’ bare chest.

“There,” she whispers. “All yours.”

Louis grins up at her. “Good.”

Harry kisses her again and forces herself to pull away. As much as she would like to just climb back into bed with Louis and never leave, she’s been looking forward to this outing with her mum for a few months now. 

“I’ll be back later,” Harry promises. 

“Don’t have too much fun without me,” Louis says pouting. Harry presses their lips together once more. 

“Same for you,” she says as she pulls back from the kiss. 

“I make no promises,” Louis says, twirling Harry’s knickers with a finger. She gives Harry a cheeky look before laying her head back down on the pillows. 

“Love you.”

“Love _you_.”

It takes all of her strength, but Harry leaves their bedroom, and the house, and makes her way to her Mum’s to pick her up for their evening out at the theatre.

As she parks the car, her phone buzzes with a snapchat from Louis. She opens it and almost drops her phone when she sees that it’s a photo of Louis’ _very_ wet pussy right there on display for Harry to see. Her heart thuds in her chest and heat blooms between her legs. She clenches her thighs together hopelessly. 

While she’s ridiculously turned on at the sight, she’s also incredibly proud. This is the first time since last year that Louis has sent Harry anything _remotely_ sexy over snapchat. In fact, this is the first time since the tape was released that Louis has sent her a picture like this at _all_. Not that they had much of a need for it any more – they barely had to tease each other like this now that they lived together. 

But this is _huge_. It’s a moment that Harry isn’t going to forget any time soon. 

She sends a quick selfie back of her biting her bottom lip, along with a caption to go with it and then shoves her phone into her handbag. 

Thankfully, her mum is ready to go when Harry finally gets out of her car and enters the house. 

“You look _gorgeous_!” Harry exclaims, taking in her mum’s deep purple dress. 

“Thank you, sweetheart,” Anne replies. 

“I feel _incredibly_ underdressed,” Harry says, gesturing to the simple baby pink dress she chose to wear.

Anne waves her off. “You don’t look underdressed at all.”

Harry wants to protest, especially considering how utterly stunning her mum looks. It’s not a formal dress that she’s chosen to wear, and when Harry takes a moment, she realises that it’s quite a simple dress, too, but it’s the way it sits on her mum’s body, and the colours. Plus, she’s wearing some gorgeous jewellery that Harry knows Robin gave her last year for their wedding anniversary, which really brings the whole outfit together.

“Here,” Anne says, passing Harry a box. “I was going to wait until we got to Paris to give this to you, but I think now is as good a time as any.”

Harry eagerly accepts the box, opening it. Inside of it sits an absolutely exquisite necklace. It’s rose gold, Harry’s favourite colour for jewellery. The chain is delicate, and the pendant is a little rose that makes Harry smile. 

“I don’t want you to feel obligated to wear it on your wedding day,” Anne says, interrupting Harry’s admiration of the necklace. “Because I know that you probably have something picked out already. But I wanted to get you something that I thought you’d like.”

“I _love_ it,” Harry breathes. She takes the necklace out of its box and clasps it securely around her neck. She turns to the mirror that’s at the end of the entrance hall and admires her reflection. She’s so thankful that she chose to wear her hair up tonight, too, as it brings more attention to the lovely necklace she’s now wearing.

Anne appears next to her. “I’m glad.”

Harry turns and hugs her mum tightly. “Thanks, Mum.”

Anne hugs Harry back. “You’re welcome, love.”

They stay like that for a few more moments before parting.

“C’mon,” Harry says. “We’d better go or we’ll be late.”

Thankfully, they arrive at the theatre in plenty of time. They each have a small glass of champagne on arrival that makes Harry’s skin tingle as she drinks the bubbly goodness. They make their way to their seats once they’re able to enter the theatre and Harry sits comfortably next to her mum. She crosses one leg over the other, making herself as comfortable as possible. 

The show starts and Harry can’t help but smile. She adores musicals. It’s been too long since she’s been to one. She and Anne used to go at least twice a year when Harry was in secondary school. It was something that Harry always used to look forward to. 

During the interval, Harry makes her way to the toilets to relieve herself before finding her mum again. She declines another drink, as she wants to be responsible about driving later. 

“Jay gets into town soon, doesn’t she?” Anne asks, sliding her phone back into her clutch and closing it.

Harry nods. “Yeah, she does. Louis’ really looking forward to having a full house.”

Anne smiles. “I bet. Feel free to come home if you need a reprieve at all.”

Harry grins. “Thanks.”

They head back into the theatre and sit back down. The rest of the show is as amazing as the first half, Harry thinks. She knows that she’s going to have _Popular_ stuck in her head for days. Which won’t be helped by the _Wicked_ soundtrack she downloads the moment she reaches her car afterwards. 

“Let’s go get a hot chocolate together,” Anne says as Harry reverses out of her parking spot. “I could use warming up tonight.”

“Alright,” Harry agrees. They spot a café and Harry parks, following her mum into the little shop. 

They sit in the corner together and Harry wraps her hands around her mug, inhaling the sticky sweet scent.

“I wanted to ask you something,” Anne begins. Harry looks up. She nods at her mum to continue. “Des phoned the other day. He seems to think that he’s giving you away at your wedding.”

Harry blinks. “Uh,” she starts. “No, I told him that Dad is.”

Anne sighs heavily. “That’s what I thought.” She sets her mug down and opens her clutch. She unlocks her phone and slides it across to Harry to look at. She quickly reads the text conversation between her mum and her birth dad and frowns.

“No, that’s not right!” Harry exclaims. She quickly lowers her voice. “He can’t say that he’s my dad _now_ that suits him. Robin is my dad! And _he’s_ the one giving me away.” She pushes the phone back to her mum with a little more force than necessary. This is the last thing that she needs to be thinking about right now. 

“Robin and I talked,” Anne begins, “he’s more than happy to let Des give you away if it makes you happy.”

“It _doesn’t_ ,” Harry says emphatically. “I bought Dad a tie that matches my dress _perfectly_. And I’ve got him custom made cufflinks as a wedding present. Everything that Louis and I have been planning has been around _Dad_ giving me away, not Des.”

“I can call him tomorrow, if you like?” Anne suggests.

Harry shakes her head. She fiddles with an empty sugar packet sitting on the table. “No,” she says with a sigh. “I’ll call him. He’ll just argue with you some more.” She has a sip of her hot chocolate but winces as it now tastes horrible to her with her sour mood. She pushes it away from her, annoyed. “You know that I want Dad to give me away, don’t you? And Dad knows that, too?”

Anne nods. “He does, sweetheart. He just wants to keep you happy.”

“Then _he_ is going to give me away,” Harry says decisively. “And I’ll call Des tomorrow and tell him _again_ that it’s not his job. Just because we share DNA, it _doesn’t_ mean we’re family. He has his own family to worry about. He’s lucky I even invited him to my wedding.” She knows she’s being petty now, but she’s hurt, and it’s the only way she can lash out at the moment.

“Take a deep breath, H,” Anne says softly. She places her hand on Harry’s forearm, squeezing softly. The old nickname soothes Harry more than the deep breath does. 

“Thanks for letting me know,” Harry says when she opens her eyes again. “I appreciate it.”

Anne nods. “Of course.”

Harry runs her hand down the necklace sitting against her skin, fingering the pendant. “Louis isn’t inviting Mark.”

Anne stays silent. Harry shakes her head, sighing again.

“We talked about it at length,” Harry continues. “But after all of the homophobic remarks he made when she came out, I don’t blame her for not inviting him.”

“How does Louis feel about it?” Anne asks softly.

It probably isn’t the best place for this conversation, but Harry doesn’t want to lose her nerve. “She’s upset. Of course. She’s been talking to April about it in therapy. But April says that Louis needs to do what is best for _her_ , and not what is best for other people. Who aren’t me, obviously,” she adds. “I know that Louis reached out to him a while ago – way before the _Vanity Fair_ interview – to see if they could make amends. But he asked her ‘are you still a dyke?’ So that conversation didn’t last long.”

“Oh, love,” Anne says. She reaches for Harry’s hand. “Do you know what she’s going to do?”

Harry gives a small nod. “She’s going to ask Jay to give her away.”

“Oh, that’s lovely,” Anne says with a smile. 

“I think she’ll be suitably shocked,” Harry replies. “I’m going to film because I think Jay will want to see that moment again when the shock wears off.”

“I think she will,” Anne agrees.

“I think it’s great that she’s asking Jay to give her away,” Harry continues. She shifts in her seat, uncrossing her legs. “Jay’s the one who’s been there Louis’ entire life. It _should_ be someone that important to her to give her away.”

“I couldn’t agree more.”

Harry grins at her mum. “I just wish that I’d thought of that before asking Dad. I’d feel a bit guilty asking you to give me away when I asked him first.”

Anne chuckles. “As lovely as that idea is,” she begins, “Robin is the far better choice. I think I’ll cry the moment we stepped foot in the aisle.”

Harry’s nose scrunches as she bites back a laugh. “Me too.”

Anne gently pats Harry’s shoulder. “Alright. Home time.”

They make their way out to the car and Harry clicks her seatbelt into place. “Thanks for telling me about Des,” she says. “I know interacting with him isn’t your favourite thing in the world.”

“You’re not wrong,” Anne comments. “But I don’t mind doing it for you.”

“I appreciate that,” Harry says. She starts the car and turns onto the road to take her mum home. 

They say their goodbyes and Harry kisses her mum’s cheek before she gets out of the car. She checks the time on the dashboard and holds back a groan. She has to be up in less than eight hours to start her girlie day with Niall and Zayn tomorrow. She groans and hopes that she falls asleep as soon as her head hits the pillow when she gets home.

~*~

The phone call with Des the next day sets Harry’s nerves on edge.

She pinches the bridge of her nose as she paces the lounge room, phone pressed to her ear. She’s been having this conversation for ten minutes already and she’s absolutely _done_.

Louis walks into the room and shoots her a worried look. Harry just rolls her eyes. She takes the phone away from her ear, pops it on mute, then loud speaker. Louis’ eyes widen dramatically when she listens to what Des is saying.

“He’s been like this for the entire conversation so far,” Harry says. She’s absolutely _exhausted_. 

She’s already had to tell Zayn and Niall that she might be a few minutes late as she had this call to make, but she didn’t expect for it to take _this_ long.

“Christ,” Louis says. “Are you alright, love?”

“I am _this_ close from disinviting him.”

“Do it,” Louis says. “If he’s behaving this childishly over whether he gets to give you away or not, then he’s not a guest that I would want at the wedding.”

Harry sighs. She sits down heavily on the couch. “I’m just afraid it will make it worse if I do that.”

Louis bites her lip. “Hang on.” She picks up the phone and takes it off mute. “That’s nice,” she says dryly. “Mate, listen, it’s Louis. Harry’s _fiancée_.” Harry can hear Des spluttering at being interrupted but Louis just steamrolls right over him. “Look, if you’re going to behave like this over something you were never doing in the first place, then I don’t want you at my wedding.”

“ _You can’t do that, I’m Harry’s father!_ ” Des exclaims.

“I _can_ ,” Louis replies, giving the phone a look, despite the fact that Des can’t see them. “It’s my wedding too, and you’re upsetting my fiancée a great deal by carrying on the way you are. You seem like a decent bloke, Des, but Harry’s made her decision to have Robin give her away. Now, you can either accept that and come to the wedding _or_ you can hang up now and have your invite revoked. It’s completely up to you.”

There’s silence on the other end. A few moments later, Des sighs. 

“ _I’ll see you there_ ,” Des says sullenly.

“Good man,” Louis replies. And just like that, the conversation is over and the problem is fixed. Louis holds the phone out to Harry to take.

“It is _so_ fucking sexy when you do that,” Harry says, tossing the phone on the couch. She grabs Louis by her shirt and pulls her in for a heated kiss. She moans, sliding her hands up the back of Louis’ shirt, eager to feel skin.

They fall onto the couch together, Louis on top of Harry. They shift until they’re comfortable enough and Harry winces. She digs out her phone from underneath her and carefully places it on the coffee table. She just gets her lips on Louis’ again when the phone starts ringing. She groans, frustrated. 

“That’ll be Niall,” Harry says. She huffs a breath and drops her head against the cushions. “I’d better go.”

Louis kisses her sweetly. “Have fun today, love.”

Harry gives Louis an apologetic smile. “Thanks. You too. With whatever you’re doing that you won’t tell me about.”

Louis grins. “Just spending time with Liam today.”

Harry sits up. “Mmhmm.” She kisses Louis once more and her phone starts ringing again. She sighs and picks it up, seeing that it’s Niall calling. “Alright, alright, I’m leaving. Love you!”

“Love you too,” Louis replies. She smacks Harry’s arse as she walks passed and Harry yelps, looking over her shoulder to see Louis giving her a cheeky grin. “Have fun.”

Harry shakes her head, grinning. She grabs her handbag by the front door and makes her way down to Niall and Zayn’s flat. 

“Finally!” Niall says when she opens her front door a couple of minutes later. “You’d think that living in the same building wouldn’t make you late.”

“Sorry, got caught up,” Harry apologises.

“Your lipstick is smudged,” Zayn says from behind Niall, sounding thoroughly amused. 

“Shit.” She pushes passed them to go to the bathroom to fix her lipstick and make sure there are no other marks that she can be teased about. She re-joins them in the lounge room a few minutes later, fresh lipstick applied and zero smudges to be found.

“ _Finally_ ,” Niall repeats her earlier exasperation. “C’mon, we’re going to be late.”

“Are you going to tell me where we’re going then?”

“Nope!” Niall says with a cheeky grin. She grabs her phone and her trusty snapback, slipping the hat backwards on her head. She passes Zayn her small handbag and jingles her keys in her hand in a sign of impatience.

“We’ll be there soon enough,” Zayn says as they step out into the corridor. Niall locks the door behind them and they head for the lifts.

Harry pouts, but it has no effect on her best friends. They’ve known her far too long and are completely immune to her pouting. Which just makes her pout harder. She’s excited, though, to see where Niall and Zayn are taking her on their outing. She had been told only to wear practical clothes and comfortable shoes as they were going to be on their feet a lot.

They reach their destination and Harry looks around in awe. She grins when she realises where they are.

“I can’t believe you’re bringing me on the _Harry Potter_ tour! I’ve wanted to do this for _ages_!” she says excitedly. 

Niall grins at her. “We know. That’s why we chose it.”

Zayn passes Niall her purse and Niall pulls out their tickets. Harry can’t help but look around at everything, trying to see it all at once. 

The entire tour is beyond Harry’s imagination. She excitedly holds onto Zayn’s hand as they are led through some of the sets. She gasps, unable to help herself, when she sees just how much thought has gone into this entire tour. The sets are to die for. And when they step into the Great Hall, she almost feels like a real Hogwarts student. What she would’ve given to have been able to go to Hogwarts as a kid. 

Even Niall can’t shut up about how incredible everything is. They take as many photos as they’re allowed to, Harry saving some to show Louis later, and others to post on her Instagram when the tour has ended. 

Zayn gasps beside her when they enter the Forbidden Forest, everything looking so beautiful and spooky and _real_. Harry loves it. She bounces on the balls of her feet when they stop, too excited to keep still. 

When they’ve finished with it, she wants to do it again straight away so she can experience the entire thing all over again. 

“That was incredible,” Niall says as they make their way to the studio shop. 

Harry stops, wide-eyed, as she takes in the shop. “Holy crap. Look at all of this stuff! I need it _all_.”

Zayn snorts. “Go easy, Harry.”

Harry bites her lip, torn between getting one of everything, and having a bit of restraint. In the end, she’s surprised at how much restraint she actually shows. She gets some sweets, because of course she _has_ to – Louis needs to share them with her – so she gets two of everything there. She buys a little plush Hedwig that she cuddles close when she feels how soft it is. And she gets a bunch of other things that she can’t pass up.

“We’ve got time to still have lunch if you want to have it here?” Zayn suggests when Harry has finished purchasing all of the things.

Harry nods. “Can we?”

Niall looks at her phone. “Yeah, we can.”

Harry beams. “Can I go put this stuff in your car, Niall?”

Niall passes her the keys and tells Harry to meet them in the studio café when she’s done. Harry makes quick work of going to the car to put all of her things in the boot if Niall’s car, making sure that it’s all tucked in safely. She gets back to the studio café to find Niall and Zayn sitting at a table together, looking at a menu.

She sits down in front of them, sliding one of the menus to her side of the table to have a look at. 

“Oh,” she says, disappointed.

“What’s up?” Zayn asks.

“I thought we’d be able to get a butterbeer.”

“They serve those at the Backlot Café,” Niall says. “We can go there after lunch. I’m dying to try one as well.”

Harry perks up at that. “Good. I was a bit worried there.”

“I don’t think they’d have a _Harry Potter_ studio tour without butterbeer, Haz,” Zayn says kindly. 

Harry gives her a small smile in thanks. They place their lunch orders and Harry tells them of the Des related drama from earlier that morning which made her late. 

When their lunch arrives, the conversation topic shifts to how Zayn thinks she did in her final exams. Harry is so incredibly proud of her for completing her first year of university, and she makes sure to tell Zayn that more than once.

“Thanks, Haz,” Zayn says, her cheeks a little red from the compliment. “I’m just glad I didn’t fail.”

“You’re way too brilliant to fail,” Niall says. Her arm is draped over the back of Zayn’s chair, looking at her with an expression of such fondness. Zayn places her hand on Niall’s thigh and leans over, kissing her briefly. 

Harry grins into her lunch, finishing off the last few bites. She takes a sip of her water and lets them have their moment.

“Alright, let’s go get a butterbeer, then,” Niall says a moment later. 

They make their way to the Backlot Café where there are several people sitting and enjoying their lunches.

“We should’ve just eaten in here,” Zayn says as they wander in. 

“Next time,” Niall replies. She leads them to the bar to order their butterbeers and they sit down to enjoy them.

“Tastes different to what I thought it would,” Harry admits after her first sip. “But good, though.”

Zayn nods in agreement. “Yeah, I was expecting it to be a bit different too.”

“It’s a bit sweet,” Niall adds, smacking her lips together. There’s a sticky sheen to them and half of her glass has been drank already, causing Harry to grin.

“So, what are we doing next?” Harry wonders, glancing between her two best friends.

“Cinema?” Zayn suggests. “We don’t have to go anywhere else until dinner, and then we’ve got something planned for after that, but we didn’t know how long the tour and lunch were going to take, so we didn’t plan too much for in between now and dinner.”

Harry grins. “I love that you’ve planned so much to do with me.”

Zayn shrugs. “You’re our best friend. We wanted to do something with you before you disappear for a year on your honeymoon.”

Harry takes another sip of her drink, licking the sweetness of her lips. “I still think you should come out to Australia and spend some time with us,” she says, setting down her glass. “I want to see how Niall fairs in an Australian summer.”

Niall makes a face at her. “Better than you will.”

Harry grins at the teasing. “Prove it, then,” she challenges, lifting her chin in Niall’s direction. 

Niall glances at Zayn, who just shrugs and nods and then gives Niall a loving smile. “Alright,” Niall eventually says after her and Zayn’s silent conversation. “We’ll come out while you’re over there.”

Harry beams and wiggles in her seat. “I can’t wait.”

They go to the cinema, and see _Finding Dory_ together, which Harry is expecting to be as funny and sweet as _Finding Nemo_ , and maybe only a little bit sad. What she doesn’t expect, however, is to leave the cinema being handed tissues from Zayn as they wander out. 

“I’m just so glad she found her parents,” Harry says, sobbing. “After all that time.”

Zayn and Niall share an amused look and Harry just huffs in their direction. 

“I’m due for my period in two days’ time,” Harry says, rolling her eyes. “Not that it has _anything_ to do with my current emotional state.”

“…It might contribute a _little_ bit,” Zayn says softly. “But there’s no judgements here.”

“C’mon, let’s take a walk,” Niall says. “I need to stretch my legs and I’m guessing you do too.”

Harry nods, following them down the street, passing by a few shops before Niall wanders into one of them. She dabs at her eyes once more with the tissue before popping it into the bin outside of the shop and shakes her head, trying to clear her mind.

“It’s alright,” Zayn says as Harry enters the shop. Niall is off looking at something on the other side of the store. “Wholesome family movies like that are still a sore spot for Niall.”

Harry gasps. “I didn’t even _think_ ,” she says. “I’m so horrible.”

Zayn catches Harry’s arm. “No, you’re not, don’t be stupid.”

Harry chews on her lip, unable to keep her eyes off Niall. Outwardly, Niall looks like she always does. But Harry knows all too well that looks can be deceiving. She sighs. “I am sorry, though. I’m the one who insisted we see it.”

“Only because Ghostbusters isn’t out yet,” Zayn counters. “Besides, Niall knows that you weren’t being cruel.”

“I still feel horrible.” 

“You can tell her that later. Not right now though, she won’t accept that at the moment.”

Harry nods. Zayn’s right. Because of course she is. Harry knows that about Niall. It’s best that she leaves it until later to give her apology.

They browse through a few more shops, buying the occasional thing, before leaving. Everything goes into the boot of Niall’s car, along with all of the Harry Potter goodies that Harry purchased. It makes her smile to see them and she reaches out to gently stroke the top of the head of a Hedwig plush that is sticking out over the top of a bag. 

Eventually, Niall proclaims that she’s hungry enough for dinner, and they go in search of a pub that they can eat at.

“This is the _life_ ,” Niall says as she lifts her food to her mouth to take a huge bite. She moans around her mouthful, eyes closed and Harry promptly flushes.

She busies herself with her phone, opening the texts that she has from Louis. She grins at the photos that are attached of Louis and Liam doing god only knows what. Some of them are blurry, and Harry makes a mental note to ask Louis about them later.

Zayn nudges Harry’s foot under the table and raises one perfectly shaped eyebrow in Harry’s direction when she glances up.

“It’s just Louis,” Harry replies, locking her phone. She tucks it back into her handbag and turns her attention back to her friends while they eat.

“Want to play a game of pool after dinner?” Niall asks, glancing over at the pool tables, only half of which that are in use at the moment.

“Alright,” Harry agrees with a smile. “I haven’t played in a while, though.”

Niall grins. “That’ll just make it easier to beat you.”

Harry makes a face and Zayn rolls her eyes at them.

“Go easy on her, Niall,” Zayn says between bites of her food. “Or at least be nice about it.” 

“Fine,” Niall agrees. She polishes off her pint of beer and kisses Zayn’s cheek as she gets up to get another one.

Harry’s finished her dinner by the time Niall comes back and she gets up, following her over to an unoccupied pool table. She lets Niall rack the balls while she chooses a cue. She chalks it up and breaks while Niall chooses her own cue. It isn’t the best break in the world, but it separates the balls enough, and that’s what she cares about.

“So… where are we going after this?” Harry asks as Niall lines up her shot.

Niall hits the white ball into another, which goes into a pocket. “Can’t tell you – it’s a secret.”

Harry pouts, watching Niall take another turn. She glances over to where Zayn’s sitting, her phone in one hand, glancing up at them every now and then. She takes her shot, sinking a ball into one of the pockets. She grins and does a little shimmy, which makes Niall laugh.

“Nice moves,” Niall teases. “Maybe we should’ve gone dancing after this.”

Harry shakes her head. “You know I’m terrible at dancing.”

Niall leans over the table, lining up her next shot. “Didn’t you and Louis take those dancing lessons, though? So your first dance as a couple wouldn’t just be you both standing on each other’s toes.”

“Yeah, we did,” Harry replies with a nod. She leans on her cue while Niall takes another shot. “And thankfully there were no broken bones, but I’m not taking that risk by going out dancing with you and Zayn.”

Niall grins and sinks another ball into a pocket. “Your shot,” she says eventually.

Harry gapes at the table. More than half of Niall’s balls are gone, while the majority of Harry’s are still on the table. She sighs and lines up her next shot, glad when it goes in. Her next shot misses completely, though, and ends up hitting one of Niall’s balls.

“Thanks for that,” Niall says cheekily. She adjusts her snapback before lining up her next shot. Harry re-chalks her cue and resigns herself to the fact that she’s going to spend the majority of the game just watching Niall play.

“Re-match?” Niall asks a few minutes later after she’s won.

“Only if you go easier on me,” Harry says. She grabs the triangle and racks the balls. 

“No promises,” Niall teases. She leans over her cue and breaks the triangle of balls with such a loud crack that three people from nearby tables look over at them.

“Hey,” Harry says slowly as she lines up her first shot for this game. “I’m sorry about earlier.”

Niall cocks her head to the side, shooting her a confused look. “What for?”

“For insisting on watching _Finding Dory_. I didn’t – I didn’t even think that it might upset you,” Harry says. “And I’m sorry. That’s the last thing I wanted.”

Niall shrugs, but avoids Harry’s gaze. “It’s a kid movie, I expected it to be like that.”

“Still,” Harry says as Niall takes her shot. “I’m sorry.”

Niall sinks the ball into the side pocket and lifts her gaze to Harry. “Alright,” she says simply. She takes her next shot and misses the pocket. 

Zayn wanders over a moment later with two beers in her hand. She wordlessly passes one to Niall who grins at her and pulls her close by her waist, giving her a smacking kiss on the lips. Harry shakes her head, smiling at them. She takes her shot and lets out a little happy squeal when she makes the ball sink into the corner pocket. 

“Good shot,” Zayn compliments.

“Thank you,” Harry says, doing a little twirl. It isn’t as effective when she’s wearing jeans instead of a skirt or dress, but it conveys her feelings.

Niall takes her turn, immediately sinking a ball into the side pocket. She pats Zayn on the butt and gives her a wink before moving to take her next turn. Harry grins, picking up her glass to have a sip of. Zayn joins her off to the side, sipping on her own beer. 

“We should head out soon,” Zayn says when Niall finishes her turn.

“Yeah, alright.”

Harry peers down at the table, trying to figure out what her next move should be. She finally spots a ball in a good position and takes the shot. It misses by a centimetre and she sighs loudly. Zayn winks at her and reaches over, pocketing the ball with her hand.

“That’s cheating,” Niall exclaims. 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, babes,” Zayn replies. She sips at her beer, keeping her gaze locked on Niall’s.

Harry can see the emotions flicking across Niall’s face before she finally breaks eye contact with Zayn. 

“You’re a shit,” she says to Zayn before taking her turn. 

Harry catches Zayn’s gaze and grins. She quickly sucks her cheeks inwards when Niall glances over at them, trying to look as innocent as possible. Niall finishes her shot and Harry re-chalks her cue before taking her own turn. She misses this one, too, the ball ending up on the complete other side of the table to where it was originally.

The game ends quickly with Niall taking her next turn and ending the game by sinking the black ball into the far corner pocket.

“Good game,” Niall says, putting her cue back in the rack. She takes Harry’s and puts it away, too.

“Thanks for going easy on me,” Harry teases. Niall pokes her in the arm for her comment, which just makes Harry laugh.

“Alright, let’s go, then.”

They pile back into Niall’s car and drive off to wherever they’re going next. It turns out to be another pub, which Harry is surprised at. 

“Why didn’t we just eat here?” she wonders when they step inside.

“Because that would’ve been weird,” Niall replies. “And we’re watching a few people do a small gig.” 

“Ooh, awesome!” Harry exclaims. She glances around, taking in the crowd of people that have already started to form. She wonders who’s going to be playing.

“I got us a table,” Niall says, appearing out of nowhere. They follow her to the table and then Niall gets up, saying she’ll get drinks.

“Who’s playing?” Harry asks, shouting a little to be heard over the noise.

“Cameron,” Zayn replies. “A girl I know from uni – she’s in one of my art classes.”

“Cool!” Harry says. She checks her phone and texts Louis just to say hi before she switches over to Instagram. She uploads a few photos from their earlier adventure at the _Harry Potter_ tour. Immediately, Félicité likes her photos and comments that she’s dying to see that, too. 

Her phone buzzes in her hand and she taps the message from Louis, grinning when she sees her fiancée’s reply. She keeps her attention on her phone until Niall comes back with their drinks. She places a delicious looking pink cocktail in front of Harry, and Harry grins.

“Thank you!” she exclaims, picking up the glass and having a sip. She wiggles happily in her seat as she swallows.

“That’s the only one I’m getting you,” Niall says as she sits down on Zayn’s other side. “Those things are _expensive_.”

“I know,” Harry replies. She sips at her drink again, smacking her lips together when she’s done.

Niall glances around, trying to look for someone. “Is Cameron even here yet?” she asks.

Zayn looks up from her phone. “Yeah, she just texted me. She’s coming over now.”

A dark skinned girl with bright dyed red hair approaches their table a moment later and both Niall and Zayn get up to give her hugs. 

“I’m so glad you could make it,” the girl who Harry assumes is Cameron says. “Is this Harry?”

Harry blinks and nods. She stands up and Cameron’s eyes go wide. “Hi, I’m Harry.”

“Holy shit you’re tall,” Cameron says. And really, Harry doesn’t blame her for that since she seems to be as short as Lottie, maybe even shorter.

“Yeah,” Harry says dumbly.

“Sorry, I’m Cam.” She sticks her hand out and shakes Harry’s hand with more force than Harry was expecting. She lets go a moment later.

“Nice to meet you,” Harry replies. 

Cameron gives her a smile and turns her attention back to Niall and Zayn. She says something that Harry can’t hear over the noise, but it has both Niall and Zayn grinning, so she figures it can’t be horrid. Harry watches as Cameron smiles at them both before running her hand down Zayn’s upper arm. The action seems innocent enough, but Harry can’t help but watch Cameron’s expression as she touches Zayn. 

Cameron disappears a moment later and Zayn and Niall sit back down.

“She’s cool, isn’t she?” Niall says, picking up her beer to have a sip.

“Yeah,” Harry agrees faintly. 

Niall and Zayn lose themselves in conversation, leaving Harry to glance around at the pub, taking in all of the people filling it. She can see Cameron’s shock of red hair and just watches her. She doesn’t seem to touch anyone else that Harry can tell, but there really is too many people around for Harry to be able to see properly.

A short while later, Harry’s finished her drink and has switched to water. Someone gets up on the little makeshift stage and announces the first performer. It isn’t Cameron, but Harry enjoys the music nonetheless.

The second act is a little worse than the first one, and by the expressions on the faces of those around them, Harry isn’t the only one who thinks so. Cameron is announced as the final performance of the evening. And the moment she opens her mouth, Harry can tell why. She has a deep, powerful voice that gives Harry the tingles. 

She sings one original song and three cover songs, which suit her vocal range completely. Harry is utterly enraptured by her performance. As are Niall and Zayn if the looks on their faces are anything to go by. 

The crowd bursts into applause when Cameron finishes. She flashes a big smile and gives them a little bow before getting off the stage. The pub’s patrons seem to all surge forwards at once – everyone wants a piece of Cameron, it seems. 

Harry takes another sip of her water and frowns when she realises the bottle is empty. “I’m going to go pee and then get another water. Do either of you want anything?” she asks Niall and Zayn. They both say no, and Harry gets up. She has to wait for a good twenty minutes for the toilet queue to lessen enough to let her in. She crinkles her nose in disgust and squats over the toilet to pee. She wishes that she had known they were going to a pub, she would have brought her She Wee along with her for this very situation.

By the time she’s done and has another water, someone is occupying her space at the table. As she gets closer, she realises that it’s Cameron. She stands awkwardly, holding three bottles of water in her hand. She passes two to Niall and Zayn and is only mildly taken aback when Cameron turns to her.

“Is that for me? Thanks! You’re a gem!” Cameron says, taking the bottle out of Harry’s hands before she can even begin to protest.

“I’ll be right back,” Harry says. She wanders back over to the bar to get another bottle of water. Cameron is still occupying her seat when Harry returns. It only annoys her a _little_ bit she tells herself.

“Christ, now I need to wee,” Niall says. “I’ll be back in a minute.”

Harry takes Niall’s spot, cracking open her bottle of water and having a long sip. Zayn and Cameron are completely lost in their conversation, barely sparing a glance at Harry at all. Cameron reaches out and touches Zayn’s hand, lingering just a little too long for Harry’s taste. She watches with interest as Cameron tosses her head back, laughing brazenly at something Zayn said. Harry’s gaze flicks to Zayn, who’s just smiling. 

They keep talking, Cameron reaching over to touch Zayn’s hand every now and then. Harry turns her attention to Zayn’s left hand and she purposefully laces their fingers together, playing with Zayn’s wedding ring.

The conversation between them falls silent and Harry sighs like she’s thinking of something. 

“I wonder what wedding ring Louis has picked for me,” she says. “I’ve been hinting that I only want rose gold jewellery. Do you think she’ll get me a rose gold wedding ring, Zayn?”

“Yeah, Haz,” Zayn says kindly. “I think she’ll get you exactly what you want.”

Harry beams, wiggling in her seat. “I can’t wait to be married. Then we won’t be the only unmarried couple in our group of friends.”

“Eleanor isn’t married either,” Zayn points out.

“Yeah, but she lives in America now with her girlfriend, so it’s only a matter of time,” Harry replies.

Cameron shifts back in her seat. “I’d better go catch up with some more people,” she says. “I’ll see you later, Zayn.” Harry knows that Cameron purposefully didn’t mention her name at all.

Zayn looks up and bids Cameron goodbye. Thirty seconds later, Niall returns to their table.

“Where did Cam go?”

“She had other people to talk to, she said,” Harry replies before Zayn can say anything. 

“Should we go, then?” Niall offers.

Zayn and Harry nod.

“I just have to pee again,” Harry says apologetically. “I’ll meet you at the car, yeah?”

“Yeah, alright,” Niall replies. She offers Zayn her hand and they leave. Harry glances around the room, searching for that bright red hair. She spots it and makes a beeline for Cameron.

She gets right in the crowd of people Cameron is talking to. Cameron’s smiling until she looks over and sees that it’s Harry standing there.

“We need to talk.”

“I’ve got nothing to say to you,” Cameron says, turning her back on Harry.

“I know what you’re trying to do!” Harry says loudly, hoping to be heard over the other sounds in the pub and over the sounds of Cameron’s friends chatting to each other. “Zayn and Niall are _happily_ married in case you hadn’t noticed. Zayn isn’t interested.”

Cameron rounds on Harry, all but shooting daggers out of her eyes. “She tell you that?”

“She doesn’t need to,” Harry replies. “She’s my best friend, and she’s not interested in cheating on her _wife_ to be with you.”

“I don’t know what you _think_ you know, but you don’t flirt with someone like Zayn does with me and are somehow _not_ interested.”

“You shouldn’t mistake kindness for flirting,” Harry retorts. “Because from what I saw tonight? The only person who was flirting was _you_. So back the hell off from my friend.”

“Or what?”

Harry purses her lips together. “Just _back off_.”

She stares at Cameron for a few long moments before turning on her heel and leaving. She strides out of the pub, heading for the car park. She spots Niall and Zayn leaning against the car, snogging like teenagers. Harry can’t help but grin. She knew that her instincts weren’t wrong. Zayn wouldn’t flirt with someone else – she probably wouldn’t even know _how_ , Harry thinks.

“I really hope that a year into marriage that Louis and I are as hot for each other as you two still are,” Harry teases when she gets close enough.

“I’ve seen you two go at each other after being apart for only two hours,” Niall starts, “I think you’ll be just fine.”

Zayn laughs and buries her face in Niall’s neck for a few brief moments. “C’mon, let’s go home. I want to shag my wife.”

Niall grins and pats Zayn’s butt. “Let’s go then.”

Harry bites her lip, smiling, as she climbs into the backseat. She definitely wasn’t wrong about that situation at all. She lets out a small sigh of relief and leans her head back against the headrest, catching Zayn’s hand straying over to Niall’s thigh for the duration of their drive home.

~*~

“What a _slag_.”

“ _Gemma!_ ” Harry gasps, looking at her sister with wide eyes. 

Gemma shrugs unapologetically. “Look, you know I don’t like that kind of language either. But you just _don’t_ flirt with someone who’s married. And as if Zayn would ever flirt back. Anyone who’s known her for five seconds knows that she’s so in love with Niall that the whole world could end and she’d only ever see Niall’s reaction.”

Harry feels vindicated. “Try telling that to Cameron.” Even saying her name makes Harry mad. 

“Did you tell Niall?” 

Harry shakes her head. She feels bad that she hasn’t, but she hasn’t wanted to bring it up, especially since they both consider Cameron to be a friend.

“I think you should tell her,” Anissa pipes up. She had been silent as Harry had told them what had happened at the pub with Cameron, and she’s thankful for that. But she also appreciates Anissa’s opinion on the subject, too.

“You’ll get the chance today,” Gemma says as their taxi pulls up to their destination. “I invited them to come wine tasting with us.”

“Niall’s going to hate this.”

“Doesn’t she like wine?” Anissa asks.

Harry shakes her head. “She’s a beer girl. Something about betraying her Irish heritage by drinking wine.”

Gemma snorts and gets out of the car. 

“Thank you,” Harry tells their driver. She hands over double the amount of the fair and tells the driver to keep the change, just because she can, and slides out of the car after her sister. 

The car drives off, leaving them standing outside of the venue that Gemma had chosen to come to for their day of sister bonding. 

“What could be better than this?” Gemma says. “We’re going to get drunk on good wine and eat cheese and cakes.”

“I can’t wait,” Harry agrees. She loops her arm through Gemma’s and heads inside. 

Zayn and Niall are inside waiting for them. Harry gives them big hugs like she hasn’t just seen them recently, kissing both of them on the lips just because she can.

“This is sacrilege,” Niall says, turning her nose up at the wine barrels near the entrance. 

“Behave,” Zayn says, visibly squeezing Niall’s hip. 

“Here, I got you something,” Gemma says, opening her handbag. She pulls out a single bottle of Guinness and passes it to Niall, whose face lights up upon seeing it.

“Gemma Anne Styles,” Niall breathes, quickly taking the bottle and shoving it into Zayn’s handbag. “You are an absolute _goddess_.”

Gemma grins. “I know. Now, we’re here because my baby sister is getting _married_ soon, and I want to spend some time with her, and if we happened to get sloshed on wine while we’re at it, then that’s even better.”

“Here, here!” Niall cheers. People turn to look at them, but Niall pays them no mind.

“C’mon, I think the tour is starting,” Zayn says, leading the way. 

Harry hangs back and grabs Niall’s hand in her own. “Hey,” she says softly. “Can we talk?”

Niall blinks at her, but nods. She slows down so they’re at the back of the crowd of people that are participating in the tour with them. 

Their host drones on about something, and normally Harry would be absolutely riveted, but right now she wants to tell Niall what happened at the pub while it’s still fresh in her mind.

“ _So_ ,” she begins slowly, lacing their fingers together. “Um. I don’t know how to say this, but I wanted to say it to you first, because I don’t want to put my foot in it–”

“Out with it, Harry,” Niall says impatiently. 

Harry sucks her bottom lip between her teeth and chews. She nods. “Cameron was flirting with Zayn the other night so I told her to back off.” She relays the entire confrontation that she had with Cameron, sparing no detail. She hates having to tell one of her best friends this, but she knows that it’s too important to keep to herself. 

Niall blinks. “So I haven’t been seeing things, then?”

Harry shakes her head. “No. But – wait. You knew?”

“Yeah,” Niall says with a sigh. “I don’t think Zayn realised it. She’s a bit oblivious when people are flirting with her. And it’s something that a lot of people do because she’s fit as fuck. But I’d noticed it the last couple of times that Cam has been around Zayn.”

“That sucks,” Harry says. “Should I… Do you want me to tell Zayn?”

“Nah, I’ve got it,” Niall replies. She squeezes Harry’s hand. “Thanks for telling me, though. I appreciate it.”

Harry gives her a crooked smile. “Of course,” she replies. “It’s not Zayn’s fault that someone mistook her kindness for flirting. People shouldn’t do that.”

“Couldn’t agree more,” Niall says. She lifts her free hand, like she’s going to adjust her snapback and realises that she doesn’t have it on. The action amuses Harry. Niall drops her hand back by her side. “I’ve tried being friends with Cam, but if she’s admitted to actively flirting with Zayn, despite the fact that we’re married… Well. I don’t want to be friends with her. And I know that Zayn will feel the same way.”

“Of course she will,” Harry agrees emphatically. “You’ve been married for an entire year already. She’s still as crazy for you now as when we were thirteen.”

Niall ducks her head, smiling. “The feeling’s mutual.”

Harry grins and turns her head to press a kiss the side of Niall’s head. “Alright, we’d better pay attention. I want to get drunk on wine.”

“Don’t go at it too hard,” Niall says. “You tend to get frisky when you’re drunk and Louis isn’t here, so you’ll have no one to turn your advances on.”

Harry pouts. “How did I get to be the fifth wheel in an outing that is meant to be about me?” she asks.

Niall lets go of her hand and slings her arm around Harry’s shoulders. “Just lucky, I guess.”

Harry rolls her eyes fondly and they re-join the group. She hopes she hasn’t missed _too_ much. But she sees that no one has glasses of wine in their hands yet, so she figures that their chat was quick.

Their host finishes talking and tells everyone to pick up a glass to taste the small sample of wine in it. Much to Harry’s amusement, Niall picks the glass up and downs the contents all in one go. 

“Not bad,” she says, smacking her lips. “I could go another.” She looks around, probably trying to spot the bottle.

Harry shuffles over to where Gemma and Anissa are, and gives Zayn a smile as she wanders back to Niall. 

“This is nice,” she comments, taking another sip. “I should take a photo of the bottle to tell Louis about it.” She slides her phone out of her pocket and surreptitiously takes a photo of the bottle. 

“C’mon, let’s go sit,” Anissa says, pointing to an empty table across the room.

Harry waves for Niall and Zayn to follow them. Niall nods and turns back to Zayn. From the looks of them, they’re talking about what happened with Cameron at the pub. Harry doesn’t envy Niall at all. It can’t be easy telling Zayn about that. Especially when she is completely oblivious to what had happened.

“What’s going on?” Gemma asks, nodding to where Zayn and Niall are still talking. Zayn sets her glass down on the table and rubs a hand over her face.

“I told Niall about what happened with Cameron. She said that she wanted to tell Zayn herself.”

“Shit,” Gemma says. 

It’s rude to stare, but Harry’s glad that she did when Zayn wraps her arms around Niall in a hug. They share a brief kiss before joining them at the table.

“All sorted,” Zayn says. “Thanks, Harry. For everything.”

Harry nods and fiddles with her empty glass. Zayn’s foot presses against hers under the table and she gives Harry a warm smile that Harry can’t help but return. 

Their host starts speaking again, holding out a new bottle of wine. Harry listens eagerly to everything he has to say, trying to remember it all for later. Their table is given a bottle and everyone pours themselves a small tot to have a taste of. Harry sips at it, thinking that she doesn’t enjoy this red wine as much as she enjoyed the first one.

When the white wines are passed around, they’re given fresh glasses and Harry happily sips at the new wine. She decides that she likes that one quite a lot, so she pours herself a bit more out of the bottle. 

“I love wine,” Harry says. She giggles, leaning into Gemma’s shoulder. 

“Here we go,” Niall says. “She’s a lightweight, this one.”

“Am not,” Harry says, pouting. She finishes off her glass of wine. “I’m going to go wee.”

She wobbles a little as she stands, thankful that she wore flats today instead of heels. She makes her way to the toilets, which are rather posh on the inside. She relieves herself and quickly washes up. She notices her reflection is a little red in the cheeks and she lifts a hand to her cheek to feel how warm she is.

She plucks her phone from her pocket and opens Snapchat. She loads up the puppy filter and makes a kissy-face at the camera before sending it to Louis. Inspired, she undoes the first few buttons of her shirt and takes another photo, squinting a little at her screen before tapping Louis’ name. She hopes, whatever Louis is doing, that she’s missing Harry as much as she’s missing Louis.

She pouts, sad that Louis isn’t here with them. She has no idea what Louis is doing. She said something about Liam and work, and that’s all Harry remembers right now. Her brain isn’t being very cooperative.

Her phone lights up with a response from Louis. 

It’s just a blurry photo of what looks like Louis’ office desk, with the caption ‘ _miss you too, love_ ’. Harry sighs. She locks her phone and puts it back into her pocket before exiting the toilets. 

“Mate, you sent that selfie to your snapchat story,” Niall says when Harry sits down. She shows Harry her phone and Harry’s eyes dramatically widen.

“Shit,” she hisses, scrabbling for her phone. She quickly deletes the story, hoping that no one in her family have seen it yet. 

“Be thankful that you have a private snapchat,” Gemma begins. “Or that would’ve been saved by the wrong people.”

Harry’s face burns with embarrassment. She stares at her phone, wondering how she could have been so stupid. 

“We all make mistakes, Harry,” Anissa says kindly. “And you have great friends who have your back.”

Harry gives her a grateful smile. “Thanks.”

“Friends who know how horny you get when you’re drunk,” Niall adds. Harry kicks her under the table. 

Gemma shoves her hands over her ears. “La la la! I don’t need to know this!” she sing-songs.

Niall and Zayn laugh. Harry ducks her head, smiling. 

“We should probably go, soon,” Zayn says. “Harry just gets worse the more she drinks.”

“But I’m having fun,” Harry whines. “I’ll behave! I promise.”

Gemma gives her a wary look. “Alright,” she concedes. “But give me your phone.”

Harry opens her mouth to protest but closes it with an audible click. She passes her phone over, and Gemma slips it into her handbag.

“Now you won’t be tempted to sext Louis and it go to Mum or, god forbid, Dad.”

Harry shudders at the implication. “Thank you.”

The rest of their wine tasting goes exceedingly well, Harry thinks. She giggles a whole lot on the ride home, leaning into Niall and Zayn as she rides the lift up to her flat. 

“I love you both so much,” Harry says when her front door finally opens. It was very rude of it not to open when she put her key in the first time. 

“We know,” Niall says fondly. Harry loves when Niall is fond with her. It’s nice.

“C’mon, let’s get you to bed.” 

“Where’s Louis?” Harry asks. She kicks her shoes off, and then immediately pushes her jeans down, leaving them where they land. “I want to kiss my fiancée.”

“I’ll call her,” Zayn says. 

Harry hums and takes her shirt off, too. It’s very warm. She stops at the thermostat and pokes at it. “It’s hot,” she mumbles. “Niall, make it not be hot?”

“In a sec, Harry,” Niall says, her voice sounding far away. 

“Niall? Where are you?”

Niall appears a moment later. She presses a cold glass of water into Harry’s hand. “Drink.”

Harry does so obediently. She likes being told what to do. She’d like it a whole lot more if it was Louis telling her what to do of course. She finishes the entire glass and passes it back to Niall. 

“I have to wee,” she announces. She wanders through to her ensuite bathroom and pulls her knickers down. Then kicks them off completely. She relieves herself and hums a random tune. She washes her hands, and then walks back into her bedroom. She reaches behind herself to take off her bra, but her hands just won’t reach. 

“ _Niall_!” she calls. 

“Hold on,” Niall says with a huff. “God, you’re wasted.”

“’M not,” Harry mumbles. “But my… boobie holder won’t come off.”

“Bra,” Niall corrects. 

“That’s what I said,” Harry huffs. Niall finally gets it free and Harry sighs happily. She climbs onto the bed, burrowing under the covers. “Will you read to me?” she asks, blinking up at Niall. 

“Alright,” Niall says. She climbs up on the bed next to Harry and she hasn’t even finished the first sentence before Harry is fast asleep.

~*~

Harry slurps happily at her milkshake, bobbing her head to the music that the café is playing. Gemma sits across from her, tapping away on her phone, brow furrowed in the screen’s direction. Harry finishes her drink and smacks her lips together, having thoroughly enjoyed herself. Her phone pings with a notification, and she opens her phone to see Niall’s latest Instagram post.

She’s been posting about their _Harry Potter_ tour from the other day, and this one has a photo of Harry, Niall, and Zayn all decked out in their Hogwarts gear. Harry’s is, of course, in Ravenclaw blue, while Zayn and Niall clash spectacularly in their Slytherin and Hufflpuff colours respectively. She grins and likes the photo, adding a comment about house unity bringing them all together. 

“Cute photo,” Gemma comments. Harry looks up to see Gemma looking at her own phone still, but the same post showing on her screen.

Harry nods. “It is.” She locks her phone again and sets it down on the table. “You should take Anissa if you get the chance.”

Gemma nods her head once. “Yeah, I might. Alright, let’s go, we’ve got an appointment in twenty minutes.”

“We do?” Harry asks, blinking in confusion. She gets up when Gemma does, though, and follows her out of the café. “Where are we going?”

“You’ll see,” Gemma replies cryptically. 

Curious, Harry picks up her pace, following her sister down the busy high streets. They stop at a nondescript looking shop and Gemma pushes the door open before Harry realises where they are. 

“You’re getting a tattoo?” 

Gemma nods. “I’ve got an appointment. Thought you could be with me since it’s my first one.”

Harry beams at her sister. “What are you getting?”

“Bird,” Gemma replies simply. She approaches the counter and tells the bright blue haired girl who’s standing there that she has an appointment.

Being in a tattoo parlour makes Harry’s skin tingle pleasantly. She hasn’t had a new tattoo in _such_ a long time. It brings back the urge to get another one just being here. She looks around at the photographs plastering the walls of people’s tattoos, and leans in, trying to get a better look. 

“H,” Gemma says, snapping Harry out of her staring contest with the wall. 

“Coming,” Harry says, immediately following Gemma. The tattooist is a mousy looking girl. Short, with no visible tattoos and short hair. She reminds Harry a bit of a pixie. The thought makes her smile.

“I’m Celeste,” she says. “Nice to meet you.”

“Gemma. This is my sister, Harry.”

Harry waves and moves to sit out of the way. She watches as Gemma tells Celeste what she wants and where, producing a picture from her handbag for Celeste to go off. Celeste makes all of the preparations she needs to, talking to Gemma about the size and placement of the tattoo. 

The sound of the tattoo gun buzzing to life makes Harry’s pulse spike. She isn’t even the one getting tattooed and she’s already getting hot and bothered over it. She needs to get herself under control. Especially with Gemma being _right there_. 

Gemma doesn’t even flinch when the needle first touches her skin. She watches Celeste with rapt interest, and Harry finds herself doing the same. She stares as the tattoo needle pressing into the pale flesh of Gemma’s inner arm.

Just being here reminds Harry of all of the times she’s been tattooed and it’s evoking some very powerful memories. Her clit throbs between her legs, and she crosses one leg over the other and squeezes, trying to relieve some of the pressure. It wouldn’t do her any good to get turned on right now. Not with Gemma being the one getting tattooed, and not when they’re spending the entire day together.

They had been shopping this morning, which had been fun. Gemma likes to hit up thrift shops, and Harry is only too eager to follow along. They had got a few cute items, including a jacket that Harry got, knowing that Louis will love her in it. She can’t wait to get home and try it on for her.

Before Harry realises it, the tattoo on Gemma’s arm is complete, and Celeste is wiping off the excess ink. Because Gemma is so pale, the redness of her arm really stands out. 

“I love it,” Gemma says, pleased. 

“I love birds,” Harry says. “That looks great.” Gemma gives her a big smile.

“Glad you like it,” Celeste says. “You’re really easy to tattoo.”

“Thanks,” Gemma replies. “We should get matching tattoos, H.”

Harry bites down on her bottom lip, her pulse spiking at the thought of being tattooed again. “Y-yeah?” she says shakily.

“You’re not scared, are you?” Gemma asks, thankfully mistaking her stammer for hesitancy. “You’ve got tattoos. I’ve seen them.”

“’M not scared,” Harry mumbles. 

“Prove it, then,” Gemma challenges, in a way only a sister can. “Let’s get something. What do you want?”

Harry sucks her bottom lip into her mouth and chews. “I could get a bird, too,” she says slowly. “But not on my inner arm like yours. Not before the wedding. It won’t heal properly in time.”

“What about on the backs of our necks?” Gemma suggests. She pulls out her phone and touches the screen. “What about this?” She turns her phone to face Harry. There’s a drawing of two tiny birds that Harry thinks would look really cute. She nods before she realises what she’s agreeing to.

“Aces,” Gemma says. She turns to Celeste and asks if she has time to do their birds, too. Celeste agrees, and she’s soon preparing the back of Gemma’s neck to be tattooed. 

Harry likes the placement. She’ll be able to hide the birds for the wedding, and the photos, and it won’t matter if they don’t heal in time before the wedding itself. It’s a win/win situation, she thinks.

Except the part where she knows how uncontrollably turned on she gets by being tattooed. 

It only takes a couple of minutes for Gemma’s second tattoo to be done, and then she’s getting up out of the chair, letting her hair fall over her back again, hiding the tattoo completely. 

“Your turn,” Gemma says, giving Harry a smirk.

Harry bundles her hair up on top of her head in a messy bun. Gemma steps aside so that Harry can occupy the seat she just vacated. She barely even hears Celeste as she asks Harry the standard questions. 

Goosebumps break out over Harry’s arms and Gemma, bless her soul, takes it as nerves. She holds Harry’s hand, squeezing her fingers softly.

The first press of the tattoo gun’s needle against her skin almost makes Harry moan out loud. She forces her eyes shut, and she sucks her lips into her mouth, biting down hard on them. She doesn’t want to embarrass herself in front of Gemma or Celeste. She doesn’t need them to know how she gets when being tattooed.

The sensation doesn’t last for long. Harry takes a shaky breath when Celeste has finished. She wipes away the excess ink and then sticks the cling film over the top of it. She gives Harry the same care instructions that she gave to Gemma, the same instructions that Harry has heard multiple times before. 

She nods dumbly, trying not to focus on the fact that her nipples are straining against her bra, seeking some kind of attention. She tries not to focus on the fact that her knickers are damp with arousal, and that her skin is tingling all over. She _desperately_ tries not to focus on the fact that she wants nothing more than to go home and have an all evening sex marathon with Louis. 

Even though that’s what she wants more than anything right now.

“You’re being weird,” Gemma says after she’s paid for their tattoos. They step out into the semi-busy street together, and Gemma gives Harry an odd look. 

“Sorry,” Harry mumbles. It’s taking all of her strength not to reach back and push against the raw skin of the back of her neck. 

Her phone goes off, effectively diverting her attention. She unlocks the screen and pulls up the text message from Louis. She frowns when it just says ‘ _come home now, please_ ’. All traces of arousal disappear from her system at the urgency in those words. 

“I have to get home,” Harry says, stuffing her phone back into her pocket. “Louis needs me.”

“Do you want me to come?” Gemma asks.

Harry hesitates before nodding. She doesn’t know what is going to be waiting for her when she gets home. It’ll be nice having Gemma there in case something is wrong.

They make it back to the flat sooner than Harry expects, and she unlocks the front door as quickly as she physically can.

“Lou?” she calls out, making her way down the entrance hall. She rounds the corner into the lounge room where Louis is pacing in front of the coffee table, one hand buried in her hair, the other holding her phone to her ear. 

Louis gives her an anxious look. “It’s a bit bloody late for that!” she exclaims. Harry’s heart thuds in her chest. Gemma appears next to her a moment later. Harry’s grateful for her warmth. 

Harry chews on her lip, feeling helpless but to watch Louis as she paces their lounge room floor. 

“What’s going on?” Gemma whispers. Harry shrugs.

“No idea,” she whispers back. 

“There’s a bloody gag order in place!” Louis exclaims, throwing her hand out up in the air in clear exasperation. She keeps pacing as the person on the other end of the line speaks, her brow furrowing even more. 

“You’ll be hearing from my lawyer,” Louis snaps. She disconnects the call and drops the phone onto the sofa. She covers her face with her hands and Harry immediately crosses the room to pull Louis into her arms.

Louis’ shoulders shake, the tell-tale sign that she’s trying to hard not to cry right now. Harry closes her eyes briefly. She noses Louis’ hair.

“What happened?” she whispers. 

They part when Louis pulls back, wiping angrily at the tears on her face. “Evan decided to give an interview about the tape.”

“After all this time?” Harry asks, cocking her head to the side, confused.

Louis nods and sits down heavily on the sofa. Harry immediately sits down next to her, placing a hand on Louis’ thigh. “Apparently she found someone who was willing to pay _big_ for an exclusive interview and she sunk her claws in deep. You know, despite there being a gag order in place to protect us from such things.” She lets out a shaky sigh. 

Gemma crosses the room and sits down on the single arm chair, facing them. “What does that mean?” 

Louis glances over at her before running her hands through her hair. “It means that I’m suing the shit out of _The Sun_. After the tape was released, my lawyers were able to get a gag order in place regarding the tape. You know, because revenge porn is _illegal_ , and that’s _exactly_ what that tape was. My lawyers were also able to make all of the tabloids sign non-disclosure agreements that stopped them from accepting interviews from random people saying they’ve slept with me, and from Evan herself. She already got her pay day from releasing the tape in the first place. 

“Some newcomer – Dan Wattpad or some shit – decided that he was going to grant the interview,” Louis continues with a sigh. She laces her and Harry’s fingers together. “It just went viral.”

Harry tightens her grip on Louis’ fingers. Across the room, Gemma takes out her phone. Her eyebrows shoot up as she looks at whatever is on the screen.

“How bad is it?” Harry asks Louis. She doesn’t want to know, but she’s scared. Not scared of what Evan has to say – but scared for Louis and what progress she’s made. She’s petrified that Louis is going to close herself off again. That she’s going to spiral and that Harry won’t be able to reach her at all.

“Bad,” Louis whispers. “I don’t want you to read it.”

Harry chews on her bottom lip. “Alright.”

“You can sue for defamation of character,” Gemma pipes up. “She’s slandering you massively in this article.”

“I know,” Louis says. She sounds positively exhausted. She leans into Harry, burrowing in as close as physically possible. “I thought this was over. It’s been _months_ since any tabloids have ran anything about the tape. I figured that the gag order was working. Despite it taking ages to get that in place, I mean.”

“It makes sense,” Gemma begins, “from everything you and Harry have told me – she’s in it for the money. Whatever money she got from selling the tape in the first place has clearly dried up. She’s trying to get paid for whatever she can at this point.

“It’s genius,” Gemma continues. Harry frowns at her sister, opening her mouth to protest. “Hold up. It’s genius because there’s already attention on Louis right now – the wedding is soon, and that means there’s more press on her than usual. Even Niall has noticed a spike in her social media followers. I know yours has climbed too, Harry.”

“I… I haven’t noticed,” Harry admits sheepishly. “I don’t like to look at those numbers anymore.”

“Well, I have,” Gemma replies. “And you’ve gained a million new followers in the last month alone.”

Harry’s mouth automatically drops open. “I’m just going to sail right passed that one. So what does this mean?” 

“It means that you’re going to have a lot of nosy people prying into your lives for the next few weeks,” Gemma says simply. “That article is going to bring up everything about the tape all over again. It’s going to start a new conversation, and this time the focus is going to be on the shit that Evan has said about Louis in this article. And that will all tie in with your wedding press, too.”

“Shit,” Harry sighs, leaning heavily back into the sofa cushions. 

Louis fiddles with her phone. She unlocks it and wordlessly passes it to Harry. On the screen is the article. She shoots Louis a worried look.

“I thought–”

“It’s the internet,” Louis says softly, her gaze flicking up to meet Harry’s. “You’re going to read it involuntarily if you don’t read it now. I screen-capped it. I don’t want that site getting any more ad revenue from me.”

Harry nods. She takes the phone and reads the article. Her blood starts to boil when she reads over Evan’s claims that Louis’ charities are just there to make her look good. That she doesn’t care. That she’s _never_ cared. There are all sorts of lies and slander that Harry wants to yell and kick up a fuss about. But she keeps reading the article until the very end. She knows that her face is red with anger, and that her heart is pounding in her chest right now. She struggles to take a breath, anger clouding her vision.

“I need some air,” she says faintly. She passes the phone back to Louis and swiftly leaves the room. She steps out onto the terrace and breathes in deeply. She counts to ten slowly, her eyes firmly closed. 

When she opens them, she looks at her plants. They’re mostly succulents, because she loves the look of them. A few cacti dot around the place, as well. When they get back from their honeymoon, Harry wants to start a herb garden out here, too. She strokes along the rim of a nearby pot, trying to centre herself. 

As she turns around to go back inside, she sees Louis standing next to the terrace door, giving her a worried look. 

“Are you alright?” Louis asks, her voice soft, like she’s scared.

“I could ask you the same thing,” Harry says. She closes the distance between them and pulls Louis in for a massive cuddle. She doesn’t ever want to let go.

“We’ll get through this,” Louis says against Harry’s neck. “We _will_. I’m not going to spiral like I did last time.”

“I’m so scared, Lou,” Harry admits. “But I trust you. And we have therapy tomorrow too, so that’s good.”

“It is,” Louis agrees. She sighs, her breath warm against Harry’s neck. “I love you so much.”

“I love you too.” 

She pulls back enough to kiss Louis softly on the lips. They stay there for a few more minutes before going back inside. Gemma is in the kitchen, making tea for all three of them. Harry feels a rush of gratitude for her sister.

“Alright?” Gemma asks.

Harry nods. “Yeah.”

Louis nods, kissing Harry’s shoulder. “Yeah,” she echoes. “I need to call my lawyer. I’ll be right back.”

Harry squeezes Louis’ hand one last time before she pulls away completely. She chews on her bottom lip, mind racing.

“H?”

Harry looks up, seeing Gemma’s worried expression. “Hmm?” 

“Are you sure you’re alright?” 

Harry nods, blinking. She takes the offered cup and blows on it before having a sip. “Yeah. I’m just worried about Louis. I don’t know if she can handle another scandal.”

“Just remember that you’ve got me, alright? I’m right here, and I’ll do whatever I can to help.”

“Thank you.” Harry gives Gemma a one-armed hug. She sips at her tea again, trying not to let her thoughts get out of control. 

They drink their tea in silence and Louis wanders back into the kitchen a few minutes later. She sets her phone down on the counter and reaches for her own cup. 

“Oh, that’s perfect,” Louis hums as she takes a sip. “There’s nothing that tea can’t fix.” She gives Harry a wink and Harry thinks that this time _is_ going to be different. She can see it in Louis’ face. She doesn’t look as broken as she did the first time. They can definitely get through this one together.

The doorbell sounds and Louis closes her eyes for the briefest of moments.

“I’ll get it,” Harry says, placing her hand on Louis’ forearm. She sets her mug down and makes her way to the front door. She opens it and sees Niall’s thunderous expression before she barrels right passed Harry without so much as a ‘hello’. Zayn’s right behind her. She gives Harry a sheepish look and then gives her a tight hug.

“Alright?” Zayn asks.

Harry nods. “You’ve heard, then?”

“Yeah,” she replies. “Niall wanted to come right up the second she read it, but we didn’t know if you were home until Gemma texted.”

“I’m glad you’re here,” Harry says. “Louis can use all of the support she can get.”

“You need the support too, Haz,” Zayn points out. Her hand lingers on Harry’s hand before letting go. They make their way to the kitchen where it seems like Niall is never going to let go of Louis by the looks of it.

“What’s going on?” Harry asks, bemused. 

“I’m going to wrap Louis in cotton wool,” Niall announces. “Sorry, Harry, you’ll just have to deal with a wife who is going to be wrapped in head to toe cotton wool so that no one can hurt her anymore.”

Louis’ laughter makes the room feel ten times brighter. “I don’t think so, Nialler,” she says fondly. “But thank you.”

Niall loosens her hold on Louis enough to plant a kiss square on her lips. “Take some luck of the Irish,” she says. “You need it.”

Louis nods solemnly, like she’s taking everything Niall says very seriously. It warms Harry’s heart. “Thank you.”

Niall sighs, letting go of Louis completely. “Look, between you and me, and them, I s’pose,” she adds without looking at them. “I am prepared to shiv someone.”

“Don’t you need to be in prison to be able to shiv someone?” Harry asks. “Or is a shiv an everyday object that anyone can have?”

The statement wasn’t designed to make anyone laugh, but laugh they do. Zayn pats Harry on the arm and then slings her arm around Harry’s waist, holding her close. Niall and Louis lean into each other, as if holding each other up to stop from falling over. And Gemma gives her a look that only a sister can, but she’s laughing, too. 

Harry never gets her answer.

~*~

“…Speak to you then.”

Iris gives them both a warm smile and closes her notebook over, placing it down on the side table next to her.

“Thank you,” Harry says politely, uncrossing her legs. She wiggles her ankles for a brief moment, and sets her feet back down. 

“I hope you both have a wonderful wedding,” Iris adds as they all stand. 

Harry smooths down her trousers and gives Iris a small smile. 

“Thank you,” Louis returns. She accepts Iris’ handshake before taking Harry’s hand in her own. “We’re both really looking forward to it.”

“I can tell,” Iris says. She wanders over to the room’s exit and opens the door for them. “Enjoy Paris, you _both_ deserve it.”

They say their goodbyes and part ways. Harry climbs into the driver’s seat of her car, clicking her seat belt into place as Louis does the same.

“Is it weird that we won’t be seeing her face to face next time?” Harry asks. 

“A little,” Louis replies with a shrug. “But that’s the wonder of the internet – we can do therapy over Skype.”

Harry smiles and starts the car, reversing out of the spot she’s in. “Therapy on our honeymoon – I feel like that’s something that only you and I would commit to.”

Louis’ chuckle is soft and warms Harry’s insides. “Probably, love, but we still need it.” She places her hand on Harry’s thigh, squeezing ever so slightly. “Especially after yesterday.”

“I know,” Harry agrees. God. Yesterday feels like a lifetime ago. 

Louis’ lawyers had immediately set to work with suing _The Sun_ , and Evan herself, which had put a little pep in Harry’s step when she found out. They weren’t going to get away with the lies they told, and that’s what she cares about the most. 

After a very long evening, Harry had collapsed into bed with Louis, and barely remembered to tell her that she had a new tattoo. Louis had kissed it with such reverence that it made Harry tear up. That action just solidified her thoughts that they were going to be okay – this wasn’t going to break them. 

Harry looks over at Louis and thinks that she would walk to the end of the world for her. She exits the car park and places her hand briefly on top of Louis’ own. 

“Can we get McDonald’s or something for dinner?” Louis asks after a few minutes. “I just want to go home and veg with my girl.”

Harry’s lips quirk upwards in a smile. “Me too.” She pulls into the closest McDonald’s and orders plenty of food for them, passing it all to Louis as their order is filled. 

They’re sitting on the sofa together, under a blanket, the lights down low, and the television playing _Brooklyn Nine-Nine_. Harry finishes her burger and reaches for the chips, popping a few into her mouth. 

“This is exactly what I needed tonight,” Louis says between episodes. She sets her drink down on the coffee table and laces her fingers through Harry’s. “Just a night in with you, no one else to think about. And nothing else to think about, either. My brain can’t handle anything more right now.”

Harry presses her forehead against Louis’ own. “I understand. It’s been a bit of an overwhelming week, hasn’t it?”

Louis nods. She pulls back enough to kiss the top of Harry’s head, lingering for a few long moments. “It really has.”

“One more week,” Harry whispers. “One more week and then we’re in Paris getting married.”

“I can’t wait,” Louis replies. Harry’s insides tingle with happiness. 

A few months ago, she wasn’t even sure that they would get to this place. That they would be so _confident_ in themselves and in each other – in their future together. But it’s finally, _finally_ all slotting into place, and Harry couldn’t be happier. They have been through hell and back this year, and she’s desperate to start this new phase of their lives.

Sure, she knows that there are still a lot of things to work on – Louis is still seeing April, her own therapist, and they’ve got plans to speak as regularly as possible to Iris over Skype while they’re on their honeymoon. But it is work that they’re _both_ willing to put in. And that means _everything_ to Harry.

They watch another couple of episodes, curled under the blanket together. Harry feels her eyes growing heavy, despite the early hour.

“C’mon,” Louis says softly. “Let’s go take a bath.”

Harry perks up. “Yes, please.”

“So polite.” Louis leans over and kisses her softly on the lips. They clean up their rubbish from dinner. Harry folds the blanket and sets it on the end of the sofa before following Louis into their bathroom. 

Louis sits on the side of the tub, running hot water into it. She has a Lush packet in her hand and she rips it open, plopping the entire bath bomb into it. Harry grins when she realises exactly _which_ bath bomb it is, and goes to tell Louis, but decides to keep it to herself at the last moment. She can’t wait to see Louis’ reaction later when she realises that the glitter from that particular bath bomb sticks to _everything_.

Once the tub is filled, they undress and get in. Harry’s body sighs at the warm water surrounding her. She leans back against one end of the tub, her eyes firmly closed. She expects Louis to sit at the other end, and is pleasantly surprised when Louis sits down and presses her back up to Harry’s chest. Her arms automatically wind around Louis’ middle, and she drops a kiss to Louis’ bare shoulder. 

“Is this okay?” Louis asks softly.

“It’s perfect.” Harry kisses the side of her neck, lacing their fingers together under the water. She sighs, contentedly, feeling warm from the water, and from Louis against her. 

“This is just what I needed,” Louis says gently. She sighs, relaxing into Harry’s embrace. “Today has been… _long_.” 

“I know,” Harry replies. She noses Louis’ hairline, inhaling the scent of her shampoo. “I’m proud of you, though. You keep on persisting despite everything going on.”

Louis hums low in her throat. “I love you.”

“I love you too.” 

Louis shifts enough to kiss Harry on the lips for a few moments before settling against her again. 

“This week is going to be a busy one,” Louis says, lifting one leg out of the water, flexing her toes. “Are you sure you don’t mind my entire family staying here with us?”

“As long as _you_ are okay with it, I don’t mind,” Harry replies. “Besides, it’s a bit late to change our minds – they’ll be here tomorrow.” 

She _had_ been a little worried when Louis had said that all of her family would be staying with them. Not because they didn’t have the space – they more than did (even without Niall and Zayn offering up their guest rooms), but she wasn’t sure how Louis’ mental health would cope having that many people in their home. 

She still isn’t sure how they’re going to cope, but she’s willing to try. And Louis is willing to try as well, which is an even bigger step. Harry’s just worried that she’s going to overdo it before the wedding. 

It’s been such a long road getting here, and she doesn’t want anything to get in the way of them getting married, not even Louis herself. 

But she has faith in Louis and her ability to step away from a situation if it becomes too much. And that’s what Harry is keeping at the forefront of her mind. They can do this. They’ve been through a lot, and they’re bound to go through more, but they’re getting married, and that is the main thing.

“…Love. Why am I covered in glitter?” Louis asks once the bath tub is completely drained, them still sitting in it. 

Harry bites her bottom lip to keep from grinning _too_ widely. “That would be from the bath bomb you chose.”

Louis’ sigh is filled with fondness and Harry gives her a quick kiss before they get out of the bath tub. She turns on the shower and leads Louis into it.

“This won’t get it off completely,” she says as she gets a loofah to Louis’ skin. “But it will help.”

“I guess it’s fitting,” Louis comments. “We _are_ having a fairy tale wedding, after all. I really should’ve known there would be glitter involved.”

Their joint laughter echoes off the tiles, filling Harry’s soul with warmth and love.

~*~

“Christ you have _so many_ clothes.”

Harry opens her mouth to protest at that but then quickly shuts it – Niall isn’t exactly _wrong_. 

“How am I meant to find anything in here?” Niall asks, shoving clothes to the side that are hanging up. “There’s so much bloody _pink_ , too.”

“This is nice,” Zayn says from the other side of the wardrobe, holding out a dress. It’s pretty, Harry thinks. It goes completely ignored by Niall, though, who seems to relish being the bossy one for once.

“Can you tell me what’s going on yet?” she asks.

“ _Nope_ ,” Niall replies far too happily for someone who is frowning so much at Harry’s clothes. 

“These shoes,” Zayn says, holding out a pair of cute little heels that Harry hasn’t seen in a while. 

“They’re cute,” Harry says, picking them up. She puts them on and wiggles her feet in the air, admiring them. She’s just sitting in her underwear at the moment, her two best friends rifling through her clothes. She has no idea what’s going on – apparently it’s some kind of surprise. But they won’t let Harry dress for herself, either. Which is just rude, if you ask her. She has excellent taste in clothes. 

“Finally got something!” Niall exclaims, emerging from deep within the wardrobe, holding something high above her head. 

It’s a white dress, surprisingly. But with pink trim and a lovely pink belt that goes around the middle. Harry bought it a while ago but hasn’t ever had the chance to wear it. 

“That’s a good one,” Zayn says with a nod of her head. “Goes with the shoes.”

Harry looks down at her feet and sees that Zayn’s right. The shoes are the same shade of pink that the belt is. “Alright, give it here then.” She accepts the dress from Niall and unzips it pulls it onto her body. She zips it up at the side and smooths her hands down the soft fabric. 

“Yeah, I like that,” Zayn says in approval. 

Harry turns to the mirror and admires her reflection. “I’d like it a whole lot more if I knew why I was wearing it.”

“Patience,” Niall says, clucking her tongue. 

“I saw another dress that’s good for a back-up,” Zayn says to Niall. Niall wanders over to the other side of the room and hums. 

“Yeah, I like that one, too,” she agrees with a nod. “Let’s leave that one in the car.”

“Alright,” Zayn replies. She finds a garment bag and makes quick work of fitting the dress into it.

Harry sits down at the vanity and puts on some make-up. She’s just finishing applying her lipstick when Niall looks at her phone.

“Ah, shit, we’d better go.”

“Hang on, let me do your eyeliner,” Zayn says. She makes quick work of doing perfect flicks of eyeliner on Harry’s eyelids before setting the tube back down. “There. That makes your eyes pop.”

“Thanks.”

Zayn grabs the nearest bottle of perfume and Harry lifts her head so that Zayn can spritz her with it. She nods when she smells the scent that Zayn chose.

“C’mon, we’ve gotta go or we’ll be late,” Niall urges.

Harry grabs her phone and reaches for her handbag but Niall all but snatches it out of her hand. 

“You won’t need that,” Niall says, setting the bag back down. 

Harry huffs and follows her friends out of her flat. She wishes that she had _some_ idea of what is going on. 

Louis was ushered out of the flat earlier this morning with her mum and the four older girls, while Dan went out with Ernest and Doris a short while later. Niall and Zayn had waltzed into the flat not even ten minutes after that and Niall began bossing Harry around. While Harry likes being told what to do by Louis, it’s _far_ different to be told what to do by her best friends. 

Once she’s seated in the backseat of Niall’s car, she’s handed a black eye mask and given a pointed look.

With a huff, Harry pulls the mask on, securing it over her eyes.

“I know that you’re waving your hand in front of my face,” she begins, “but _no_ , I can’t see it.”

“Good,” Niall says. There’s amusement in her voice, which indicates that she was probably doing something inappropriate in front of Harry’s face.

“Why do I have to wear this?” 

“Because where we’re going is a surprise and if you _see_ , the surprise will be ruined,” Niall says. 

The car starts, rumbling to life underneath them. Harry folds her hands on her lap and settles in for however long this car right might be. She can hear Zayn’s soft voice before music is turned on, playing whatever Zayn has chosen for their ride. Harry hums along when she knows a song, but otherwise stays silent.

“We’re here,” Niall says a short while later. “Nuh-uh, keep that mask on,” she adds when Harry’s hands go up to her face.

“But…” she trails off. It’s quite pointless to argue with Niall at this point, she thinks.

The car door opens and Harry unclicks her seatbelt, guiding it back into place lest it smack her in the face. She accepts the offered hand, it’s soft, so she figures that it’s Zayn’s. She holds on tight as she gets out of the car, trying to get her balance. 

“I’ve got you, Haz,” Zayn says, sounding thoroughly amused. “Give Niall your phone, she can carry it for you.”

Harry holds out her phone and it’s plucked out of her hand a second later. 

“Alright, just walk normally,” Zayn says. “There’s nothing in your way, so you’ll be fine.”

Despite that, Harry still wobbles and stumbles more than she’d like to admit. She steps up when Zayn tells her to, clomping down a lot harder than she means to. A noise indicates that a door is being opened and Zayn’s hand loosens in Harry’s before she grabs both of them, guiding her along.

“Alright, we’re here,” Zayn says. “You can take off the mask.”

Harry lifts her hands to her face, taking the mask off. She shakes out her hair and lets her vision swim into focus.

“Surprise!” a chorus of people exclaim. 

Harry gasps, her hand going to her mouth as she takes in everything. The room is huge, and it takes her a moment to realise that this is the same venue that she had her seventeenth birthday party at. There are so many decorations, including an enormous banner that reads “Congratulations Harry and Louis” in bright pink writing. Harry grins. 

Her mum approaches a moment later, wrapping Harry in a tight hug.

“What’s all this?” Harry asks, unable to take her eyes off the sheer amount of decorations and people filling the room.

“It’s your bridal shower,” Anne says. “Surprise, sweetheart.”

Tears prick the backs of Harry’s eyes. “ _Mum_ ,” she says emotionally. “Thank you. This is _incredible_.”

“We couldn’t let you go without a bachelorette party _or_ a bridal shower,” Zayn says. “So we had to surprise you with the one you wanted the most.”

“I’m still pissed that you won’t let us throw you a bachelorette party,” Niall adds. She has two glasses in her hands and she passes one to Harry. She accepts it and laughs when she realises the glass has ‘bride to be’ written on it.

“This is… thank you all so much,” she says. She takes a sip, feeling the bubbles of champagne immediately go through her. 

Gemma approaches a second later, giving Harry a firm hug. “Let’s get this party started!” she exclaims as they part, making Niall whoop in agreement.

Anne takes the reigns, grabbing a microphone and speaking into it. She instructs everyone to grab a glass of bubbly and mingle while she sets up the first game.

“How long have you been keeping this a secret?” Harry asks as Niall brings her glass to her lips.

“You have no idea,” Zayn replies, smirking. “Anne has been planning this for _months_ now. She wanted everything to be perfect for you, Haz.”

Harry’s heart melts in her chest. “Really?” Niall and Zayn nod. “I have the best family ever.”

“Yeah, you do,” Niall says. She slings her arm around Harry’s middle and gives her a half hug. “C’mon, let’s mingle with your guests.”

All of Louis’ sisters are here, which makes Harry wonder where Louis and Jay are. She figures that this isn’t the place for Ernest and Doris, but she thought that maybe Louis would’ve been a part of her surprise. Her disappointment soon fades when she sees several of her old high school friends. They share hugs and kisses and express their excitement about attending the wedding. 

She makes the rounds, saying hello to all of her friends and relatives who are here for the party. The last group of people she stops at are all members of the community centre that Harry works at. She gives them extra-long hugs and then feels a little silly – it hasn’t been _that_ long since she’s seen them, but it feels like a lifetime.

Anne signals for everyone’s attention after a short while and announces the first game is about to start. “Now, there are _plenty_ of prizes to go around,” she says. “Just so no one feels left out. But these games are designed to test your skills and your knowledge, so a little competition is fun here. Be kind and have a great time! Here’s Gemma with the instructions.”

Gemma takes the microphone from her mum and turns to face the crowd of people. “Alright,” she begins. “We’ll start off with two truths and a lie since you were all asked to write down those when you came in.”

The games are fun, and Harry can tell that there has been so much thought put into the entire event. She catches her mum’s gaze and mouths ‘I love you’ to her, making Anne smile in return. 

Between each game, there are short breaks for everyone to have something to eat or drink. There are so many tasty goodies out that Harry has to try one of everything. Her mum really has gone all out for this event, she thinks.

Zayn introduces the next game, it’s a quick one called ‘who has the bride?’, to which Niall puts a hand on Harry and exclaims that she does. It gets plenty of laughs, which makes Niall smile.

“If everyone looks under their chair, they’ll find a bride taped underneath it,” Zayn explains. “There are two winners this round – one for whoever has Louis, and one for whoever has Harry under their chairs.”

An exclamation comes from Lottie, who has Harry taped under her chair, and then another triumphant noise comes from Harry’s old school friend, Cara, who has Louis taped under hers. Zayn passes them their prizes and lets Anne take the microphone again to announce the next game. 

A few games and a short break later, Harry sits back down in her chair as Niall picks up the microphone. She watches as her best friend stands up on a chair, earning a worried look from Anne. 

“Alright, for this next game, we need everyone up and moving around,” Niall says, effectively getting everyone’s attention. “It’s called _Find the Guest_. So up on your feet, everyone!”

Harry chuckles at Niall’s demanding tone and she stands. They’re all instructed to take a pen and a clipboard from the table to Niall’s right, and answer all of the questions on the sheet. Harry takes one, glancing over the questions. She taps the pen to her lips when she notices something written on the side. She lets out a happy laugh when she realises that her mum got custom made pens, too, that read ‘Louis and Harry’s wedding shower’. She shakes her head before she even realises the mistake. Isn’t this just _her_ wedding shower?

As Harry glances around, looking for her mum to question her about the pens, she spots the door opening. Louis steps in, looking as puzzled as Harry probably looked when she first arrived here, too.

“I found the guest!” Harry exclaims excitedly. Several heads turn towards her and she gestures to her fiancée. Niall’s laughter echoes through the microphone she still has in her hand.

“That’s not the only guest here, Harry,” Niall replies.

Harry shrugs, unable to stop grinning. She closes the distance between her and Louis and throws her arms around Louis in a hug. 

“Hi,” she says. “Welcome to our bridal shower.”

Louis blinks when they part, and she looks over her shoulder at Jay who just gives her a secretive smile in response. 

“You and Anne did this, didn’t you?” Louis asks, draping her arm around Harry’s middle.

Jay winks at them both. “We may have been planning something for you both for a while now. This is just a part of it.”

“Thanks, Mum, you’re the best.”

Jay kisses them both on the cheek before leaving. 

“Hi,” Harry repeats herself. Louis smiles and tilts her head up for a kiss that Harry can’t deny. Their lips slot together and Harry sighs, her body relaxing into Louis’ touch. 

“Are you having fun, love?” Louis asks when they part.

“I am,” Harry replies. “What about you? What have you and Jay been up to today?”

“I’ll tell you after,” Louis says. “Niall looks annoyed that we’re interrupting her game.”

Harry glances over at Niall who has her lips pursed in their direction. “Alright, only because our mums have put a _lot_ of effort into this.”

Louis pats her on the bum and they make their way back to the table Harry had been sitting at before.

They play emoji Pictionary next, something that has Harry grinning from ear to ear as she deciphers all of the emojis into wedding related words and phrases. Louis rests her chin on Harry’s shoulder. 

“How’d you answer all of those so quickly?” she asks. “I’m still stuck on the fifth one.”

“Us Gen Z kids know our emojis,” Harry teases. She gives Louis a quick kiss on the lips and then shows Louis her paper.

“Thanks, love.”

Even though she knows she’s finished first, Harry doesn’t care about winning any of the games to get a prize – her prize is having this amazing party with all of her friends and family. 

“I’m going to get a drink,” Louis says. “I’ll be right back.”

Harry picks up her glass to have a sip out of it and grins when she sees the ‘bride to be’ printed on the side in a gorgeous script font. She sighs happily, doodling little love hearts in the margins of her page. She feels positively giddy. It’s probably the champagne.

“Hey, does your glass have something printed on it?” Louis asks as she sits back down. 

“Yeah,” Harry says. She shows Louis her glass and grins when Louis’ reads the exact same. 

“Our mums really went all out for this, didn’t they?” 

“Yeah, they did,” Harry says fondly. She glances over to where their mums are sitting together, drinking from their own champagne glasses. Glasses that Harry knows for a fact read “mother of the bride” on them. She has so much love in her heart for their mums for doing this for them.

Their next game is ‘guess the dress’ where everyone is given a piece of paper and a pencil (which Harry notes are also custom made) and are told to draw what they think Louis’ or Harry’s dresses will look like, but in a certain amount of time.

Harry grins as she tries to sketch what she thinks Louis’ dress will look like. She’s so caught up in her own drawing that she doesn’t even notice Niall protesting that Zayn can’t participate since she knows what Harry’s dress actually looks like.

At the mention of her name, Harry glances up in time to see Zayn shrug. 

“It’s not for the game,” she replies. She passes the piece of paper over to Harry, and Louis immediately tries to look over Harry’s shoulder at it, but Harry turns it away from her. 

“Zayn,” she breathes, “this is… I don’t have words.” There, on the piece of paper in Harry’s hands, is a perfect sketch of Harry’s wedding dress. She stares at it for a few long moments before setting it gently face down on the table. She reaches over and gives Zayn a tight hug. “Thank you.”

“It’s just a sketch,” Zayn mumbles into Harry’s hair. But she doesn’t let go, which makes Harry smile.

Harry takes the paper and asks her mum to keep it safe for her, as she wants to put it in her scrapbook when she’s able to. Anne promises that she’ll keep it flat and completely safe.

They take a break from games to have some more food and drinks, Harry opting to sit with her old school friends this time. She sees Louis sitting with her sisters, making them smile and laugh with whatever joke she’s telling. 

“These mini-quiches are really amazing,” Cara says as she wipes her fingers on a napkin. 

“I haven’t had one yet,” Harry admits, reaching for one. She moans as she eats the delicious savoury snack. 

The next game starts and Harry settles in to her new spot, laughing with the girls at her table as photos of herself when she was younger are projected onto a white wall so everyone can guess how old she was in each photo. She coos when there’s photos of Louis that are intersected in the slide show. 

The games eventually wrap up, and everyone has a piece of cake to end their afternoon with. Harry munches on the delicious treat as the guests start saying their goodbyes. As each person leaves, they’re given a cute little gift bag to take with them. She watches them, a little jealous. She loves party bags.

“Don’t worry, you get one, too,” Gemma says appearing next to Harry. “Anissa and I stayed up all night putting these together.”

“Thank you,” Harry says excitedly, grinning at her sister’s ability to read her mind still. She gives Gemma a hug, burying her face in her sister’s hair. 

“Have you had a good day?” Gemma asks when they part.

Harry nods. “I have,” she replies honestly. “This has been the best surprise bridal shower ever.”

“Good,” Gemma says. She pushes Harry’s hair over her shoulder, gently running her hand over the back of Harry’s hair and then down Harry’s spine, making Harry lean into her touch. “You have a lot of people that love you.”

“I know,” Harry says softly. The sheer amount of people who came to her shower is testament to that. She can see Daisy and Phoebe off to the side, playing on their phones. They have different coloured gift bags at their feet, and Harry can’t help but wonder what they got in theirs – figuring that it’s probably child friendly. She makes a mental note to ask them later. 

“C’mon, let’s go help Mum pack up.”

Harry nods. She follows Gemma along, stacking chairs and clearing all of the tables. With all of them working together, it doesn’t take too long to tidy up. She sees Louis chatting with Anne as they stack chairs against the walls, smiling at the sight. She loves that their mums get along so well.

By the time they’re finished, Harry’s feet are a little sore, and she’s in desperate need of a shower, and a lie down. 

“Thank you for this, Mum,” Harry says as she approaches her mum and Jay where they’re collecting the left over notecards and pens.

“It was my pleasure, sweetheart,” Anne replies. “Jay and I had a lot of fun putting this together.”

Jay nods in her agreement. “Your mum did all of the heavy lifting, I just gave ideas.”

“Hush, it was a joint effort,” Anne admonishes fondly. 

“C’mere,” she says, opening her arms to hug them together. “I love you both so much.” 

“We love you too, Harry,” Jay says, patting Harry’s back. “Here, this is for you.” She passes Harry a large gift bag – it’s bigger than the other ones that were handed out. Harry gives her a curious look. “Open it when you get home. It’s for you and Louis.”

“Thank you,” Harry says a little emotionally. She gives Jay another hug and kisses her cheek. 

“Dan and I are taking the kids out for dinner, so you and Louis will have the house to yourselves for a bit,” Jay says when they part. “Louis already knows.”

Harry puts a hand on her stomach at the thought of food. “I think I’ve eaten far too much today to consider dinner.”

Jay chuckles. “There were some pretty great things to eat, weren’t there?”

Harry nods. “I love Mum’s little quiches. They’re always a big hit.”

Anne gives her a fond smile. “Thank you. Why don’t you and Louis go home? I’ve got it from here.”

“Are you sure?” Harry asks, biting down on her bottom lip. “I don’t mind helping. It’s my mess, too.”

“I’m sure,” Anne insists. “I’ve got your sister, Anissa, Niall, and Zayn all staying back to help me.”

“Alright,” Harry says warily. She looks around. There really isn’t that much left to do, she notes. “Thank you again for such a wonderful surprise, Mum. You’re the best.” She gives her another massive hug, trying to convey how grateful she feels through hugging alone.

By the time she and Louis get home, Harry is a happy kind of exhausted. She hums to herself as she takes off her shoes, shoving them into the cupboard near the front door. Louis wanders ahead of her, probably to make herself a cup of tea. That sounds perfect right about now, she thinks. She follows Louis to the kitchen and sets their gift bag down on the counter.

“Hey,” she says, just realising something. “Where were Sophia and Liam?”

Louis glances over her shoulder quickly, but the kettle boils and she turns her attention back to it, speaking, “Mum took us out to lunch,” she says. “I asked if they wanted to come to the party afterwards when I found out what Mum had planned, but Karen was only available for so long.”

Harry pouts. “That sucks.”

Louis nods. “It does,” she agrees. “I would’ve loved them to have been there. Liam is great at party games. But Willow’s teething again and she won’t even settle for Karen, and she loves Karen.”

“My poor little niece,” Harry says. She accepts the tea that Louis holds out for her and blows on it before having a sip. “How were Sophiam, then?” she asks, using their mashed up nickname just to see Louis smile. It works.

“Good,” she replies. “They wanted to talk about the article a little bit, especially with Mum there. I guess to just make sure that I’m not spiralling again. Which is sweet.”

Harry inches closer. She reaches out with her bare foot and presses it gently to the top of Louis’ own. “They care about you.”

Louis nods. “I know,’ she replies. “I just want to forget about it, though – yes, I know that doing that last time had the exact opposite effect,” she says when Harry opens her mouth to interrupt. “But we talked about it. Got the conversation out of the way and once they were satisfied that I was actually as okay as I said that I was, they were alright.”

Harry’s lips quirk upwards in a smile. “I’m glad you’re alright.”

Louis sets her cup down on the counter and winds her arms low around Harry’s middle. “Me too,” she says. Their lips meet in a soft kiss. Harry quickly sets her own cup down so she can touch Louis. She sighs contentedly, running her hands up Louis’ exposed upper arms, relishing in the shiver that the touch evokes from Louis. 

“We should look in our gift bag,” Louis says against Harry’s lips as the kiss ends. 

Harry nods, her eyes closed still. She feels Louis huff a laugh against her cheek and she turns into it. Louis’ lips brush against hers ever so slightly and Harry’s breath stutters at the contact. 

“C’mon,” Louis whispers. 

Reluctantly, Harry opens her eyes, blinking a few times. She reaches for the gift bag and pushes it towards Louis for her to pull out the first object. Harry figures that it’s filled with lots of different things as it’s quite heavy. 

The first item that Louis pulls out is a bottle of champagne.

“Ooh,” Harry says excitedly as she peers at the bottle in Louis’ hands. “Mum even did a custom label for us! She’s the best.” The label reads _Harry and Louis – the boat that will never sink_ and it absolutely makes Harry’s heart melt. 

“This goes with it,” Louis says, her tone fond, as she pulls out the gold nautical bottle opener. 

Harry bounces excitedly on the balls of her feet. “Our mums are the absolute best.”

She reaches into the bag and pulls out another thin box. This one has a cute, copper coloured love heart bottle stopper. On the box is printed _Two Become One_ which makes sense when Harry looks and sees a little heart inside of a bigger one at the top of the stopper. Louis pulls out the next few items, which are some home-made chocolates that has Harry licking her lips, eager to try; an adorable little custom notebook with two pens.

The next items are several smaller boxes that Louis sets out on the counter. There’s little bird shaped salt and pepper shakers that Harry can’t stop cooing over. The box reads _Love Birds_ which makes Harry laugh. Two identical boxes have little ‘x’ and ‘o’ shaped soap in them, which smell delicious and make Harry want to try them straight away. Another black box has a tag that reads _Love Beyond Measure_ and has a set of heart shaped measuring spoons in it. 

“I am loving all of these puns,” Harry comments as she closes the lid back on the box.

“You would,” Louis teases fondly. She presses a kiss into Harry’s shoulder and reaches into the bag for the next item. 

The next box is a little bigger, and heavier, and has inside of it three small photo frames that already have Polaroid photos inside of them. One of their mums, another with Gemma, Anissa, Niall, and Zayn in it, and Harry has to wonder when they found the time to do that without her noticing; and the last has a photo of Lottie, Félicité, Daisy, and Phoebe in it, all smiling at the camera. Harry’s heart doubles in size.

“These are perfect,” Louis says, somewhat emotionally. 

“Yeah, they are,” Harry agrees. She takes the frames and displays them on the counter near the kettle. They’ll have to be moved before the morning, but right now, that’s where she wants them.

The next two boxes hold _The Perfect Blend_ teabags that has Harry cackling at the pun, and Louis rolling her eyes; and a little box of various sized heart shaped cookie cutters. 

“They really outdid themselves,” Harry says. 

“They did,” Louis agrees. “Alright, we’ve left the biggest for last, let’s have at it.” She pulls out a short, but thick and quite heavy book that has Harry itching to grab it.

Louis opens it, and on the very first page is a photo of the two of them sharing a kiss. Underneath, in Anne’s perfect handwriting, is a lovely message. Harry wells up when she reads it, her ribs feeling too small for her chest. She clutches Louis’ hand tightly and takes a shaky breath. The fact that their mums went to so much effort for today makes Harry feel all of the emotions. 

Throughout the entire book are Polaroid photos of their friends and family, most of whom attended their bridal shower. Each page is dedicated to one of each person, their photo taking up the centre of the page, while a wedding and marriage wish is written underneath, and a date idea for when their married is above it. The wishes and ideas make Harry smile so much that her cheeks start to hurt.

“We have the best friends in the entire universe,” Harry says. She runs her finger over Niall’s handwriting, unable to think of an adjective other than _pretty_ to describe it. 

“We should do this for our wedding guest book,” Louis says as she closes the book over. “Get everyone to take a Polaroid and write down something.”

Harry beams. “I _love_ that idea. We need to get a book big enough.”

“I’ll sort that out tomorrow,” Louis promises. 

“I can’t wait,” Harry says, pressing closer to Louis. “I can’t wait to marry you.”

Louis gives her the most beautiful, crinkly eyed smile ever. “Me too.”

They share a brief, but loving kiss, before Harry turns to clear up their gifts. She just finishes tidying up when Louis’ phone starts to ring. 

“It’s just Mum,” she says. Harry nods, and Louis wanders off into the lounge room. 

Harry cleans up their cups of tea, making sure that there are no dishes left in the sink for when Louis’ family inevitably come back later on. She can’t help but smile to herself when she thinks about just how wonderful today has been. It certainly was the best surprise ever. She finishes up in the kitchen and switches the light off behind her. 

With a yawn, Harry walks into their bedroom to take her dress off. She’s surprised when she feels hands on her hips, lips kissing the back of her neck before the zipper of her dress is pulled down. She takes off the dress and turns in Louis’ arms, accepting the kiss that Louis has for her. She sighs, leaning a little more into Louis than usual. But Louis has a firm hold of her, keeping her upright.

“Have you had a good day?” Louis asks, kissing down Harry’s jaw to suck on the sensitive spot on Harry’s neck.

Her breath catches in her throat. “Yes,” she breathes, eyes closing at the touch. 

“Good,” Louis replies. Her teeth scrape ever so slightly against the spot she was just kissing, before her warm lips work their way over Harry’s clavicle. Her skin feels scorching hot under Louis’ touch. She feels Louis’ fingers pressing into her hips a little harder than absolutely necessary, and her knees go weak at it.

“Lou…” Harry mumbles, tilting her head to look at Louis through hooded eyes. “We–”

“We’ve got plenty of time,” Louis interrupts. “Don’t worry about it.”

Harry bites down on her bottom lip. She should be surprised when Louis’ lips crash into hers a moment later, but she isn’t. The kiss is hot, passionate, and makes Harry’s toes curl into the carpet. 

“Grab the chair from your vanity,” Louis instructs as she breaks the kiss. It takes a moment for Harry’s brain to catch up to the words Louis spoke, and by the time she registers what Louis said, Louis is fiddling with her phone on the other side of the room. Music starts to play over the speakers, starting with Beyoncé’s _Crazy In Love_ making Harry smile to herself.

She quickly grabs the chair from her vanity and sets it down in the middle of the floor, excitement bubbling inside of her when she realises what is going to happen.

“Niall seems to think that you should have had a bachelorette party,” Louis says softly, unzipping her dress slowly. 

“I don’t–”

“Shh,” Louis interrupts. “I know you don’t want one. But this is my little gift to you.”

Harry nods, eyes hungrily roaming over Louis’ body as her dress pools to the floor at her feet. She kicks it to the side. The song changes and Harry can’t help but smile at Louis using their sexy playlist. Her grin drops when Louis walks forwards and straddles Harry’s lap, bracketing her in with her gorgeous thighs. Harry’s hands automatically move to hold them but Louis makes a _tsk_ sound and Harry’s hands drop to the sides. 

“No touching,” Louis says. “Look with your eyes, princess.”

Harry nods dumbly. Her tongue darts out to lick her dry lips. Her breath stutters in her throat when Louis starts to move in time with the music. Her hips are absolutely sinful, Harry thinks. It’s incredibly hard not to just touch Louis like she wants to, to slide her hands up Louis’ back and unhook her bra, but she’s determined to last as long as possible. She wants to see this out.

“Good girl,” Louis whispers as the song changes yet again. She dips her head and drags her lips up the side of Harry’s neck. She takes Harry’s earlobe into her mouth and bites down just so, tugging ever so slightly. 

Harry whimpers at the touch. Her hands clench into fists at her sides, shaking with the force of holding herself back. 

Louis’ smile as she takes off her bra is going to be burned into Harry’s mind forever. Her breasts come into view, nipples hard, standing at attention, practically begging to have Harry’s mouth on them. She automatically leans forwards but catches herself at the last moment, sighing in frustration.

Louis moves off Harry’s lap and turns around, her arse pressing right against Harry’s crotch. She moves in time with the beat of the music, giving Harry the best view, and the best lap dance of her _life_. Her strength to not touch is waning. She just wants to grab onto Louis’ hips were they move in front of her, and dig her fingers into the soft flesh. 

“No touching,” Louis warns, as if she’s read Harry’s mind. 

A strangled moan escapes from Harry’s lips when Louis turns back around, straddling her lap once more. She’s face to face with Louis’ tits, and she can’t help but whimper. Louis keeps moving, dragging her underwear clad pussy up Harry’s thigh.

A soft moan falls from Louis’ parted, red lips, and her eyes fall closed. She repeats the action, pressing down a little harder this time. It’s absolutely intoxicating to watch Louis like this. Even though Harry can’t touch her, but she gets to watch this, and that makes up for it in her mind.

Louis seems to lose herself, lose her rhythm in favour of rutting down onto Harry’s thigh. The action is so incredibly sexy. It’s been a while since Louis has lost herself like this. Harry welcomes it. Louis’ eyes open, the pupils blown wide, a glassy sheen over them. Harry surges up, capturing Louis’ lips in her own. The kiss is heated, passionate, and it’s one that Harry doesn’t want to end. She can’t keep her hands to herself any more. She grips onto Louis’ hips, fingers pressing in harder than she means to. Louis whines high in her throat, thrusting down harder onto Harry’s thigh. 

The kiss breaks long enough for Louis to wobbly get off Harry’s lap and hastily shove down her knickers. She climbs back onto Harry’s thigh, straddling only the one this time. Harry moans when she feels the heat from Louis’ pussy touch her skin. It’s wet, hot, and _perfect_. She clings onto Louis hips, following the motions they make as she uses Harry’s thigh to get herself off.

“ _Fuck_ ,” Louis hisses, throwing her head back, exposing her long, smooth neck. Harry dips her head, closing her mouth around one of Louis’ nipples. Her teeth tug at the sensitive nub, tongue smoothing out every place her teeth touch. Louis’ moans fill the room, her breathing heavy, indicating how close she is.

Their lips meet again, messily this time. Their hot breaths mingle together, all but panting into each other’s mouths. Louis’ lips drag over Harry’s cheek as she shifts her hips, gripping onto Harry’s shoulders with both hands. The noises that fall from her are some of the best that Harry has ever heard. She’s soaking wet because of it. 

Still, Louis’ hips manage to move to the beat of the music playing in the background. The wet slide of her pussy against Harry’s naked thigh turning Harry on even more. 

“So close,” Louis mumbles, dropping her head. Her hands loosen on Harry’s shoulders, moving so it’s like their hugging. Louis’ soft breasts press against Harry’s bra clad ones. Her nipples strain against the fabric, begging for some kind of attention, but Harry pays it no mind. 

The new position seems to work for Louis, whose hips have sped up, rutting down harder and faster than she was before. Moans spill from her as she reaches her orgasm, clinging even tighter to Harry. Her hips stutter through the aftershocks, the wet drag against Harry’s thigh making both of them shiver.

Eventually, Louis lifts her head and lets out a soft laugh, dropping her head onto Harry’s shoulder. Harry keeps her arms securely around Louis’ body, stroking up her naked back, palm flat against the skin. She kisses across Louis’ shoulder, everywhere her lips can reach while Louis recuperates.

“That was brilliant,” Louis mumbles into Harry’s neck, kissing where her lips rest.

“I’ll say,” Harry agrees, sliding a hand down lower to cup Louis’ arse for a few seconds before stroking over Louis’ thigh where it sits on the outside of her own. 

Louis lifts her head again, eyes shining with happiness. It makes Harry’s heart swell in her chest. She kisses Louis again, softer this time, slower. They trade lazy kisses for a few long moments, unable to stop from touching each other. Louis slides the straps of Harry’s bra down until it can’t go any further. She reaches behind Harry and unclasps it, throwing it over her shoulder and onto the floor. She lets out a squeak when Harry hooks her hands under Louis’ thighs and lifts her up, carrying her the short distance to the bed and all but throwing her down on it.

Laughter fills the room. Harry’s stomach swoops pleasantly at the noise. She climbs up onto the bed, hovering over Louis’ gorgeous and naked body. 

“How much longer do we have?” she asks, dipping her head to kiss the dagger tattoo inked into Louis’ skin. Louis shifts and sighs.

“Probably half an hour.”

Harry lifts her head. “ _Plenty_ of time for me to eat you out then,” she says. She gives Louis a wicked grin before lowering her head between Louis’ legs and licking a fat stripe up her pussy. 

The noise that escapes from Louis at the action is worth almost getting caught when everyone comes home sooner than anticipated.

~*~

Félicité has been giving Harry _looks_ every few minutes. She doesn’t think that Harry knows, or notices, but it’s kind of hard not to when Félicité looks away sheepishly whenever Harry lifts her head.

Harry gets up and wanders out onto the terrace under the guise of stretching her legs. It’s mostly private out here, and she figures that’s what Félicité needs. She’s proven right when the terrace door slides open and closed a few moments later and Félicité appears next to Harry.

“Hey,” she says warmly. “Want to help me water the plants?”

Félicité nods. Harry passes her one of the little watering cans that she has filled with water and asks Félicité to start at the other end. They meet in the middle a few minutes later and Félicité wordlessly passes the can back to Harry.

“Everything alright?” 

Félicité nods, then bites her lip. “Can I ask you something?”

“Of course,” Harry replies. 

Félicité looks around. “Somewhere private?”

“Yeah, of course,” Harry says with a nod. “C’mon, we’ll go to my room.”

No one pays them any mind when they walk through the house to Harry and Louis’ room. She shuts the door behind them and gestures to Félicité to take a seat wherever she’d like. She sits down on the chaise and Harry sits opposite her, on the bed.

“What’s up?”

Félicité looks a little uncomfortable and then shakes her head. “Never mind, it’s stupid.”

“Hey,” Harry says. She gets off the bed and moves to sit down next to Félicité. She covers Félicité’s hands with one of her own. “Whatever it is, I promise you that it’s not stupid.”

Félicité ducks her head, her dark hair curtaining around her. She sighs and straightens herself. “How do you have sex?”

Whatever Harry was expecting, it wasn’t _that_. And her face must show it because Félicité looks like she wants to leave again. 

“Sorry, I just wasn’t expecting that,” Harry admits. “Wow. Um. Does Jay know you want to have sex?”

“Yeah, of course she does, we’ve wanted to have sex for a while now,” Félicité replies.

Harry blinks, confused. “Shit, I meant your _mum_.”

“Oh,” Félicité replies. “Oh _gross_.” Her expression is absolutely priceless. 

Harry laughs, unable to help herself. She lifts her hand to her mouth and keeps giggling. She snorts when she tries to catch her breath, which sets off Félicité, too. Harry laughs so hard that she falls off the chaise and lands on the carpet with a soft thud. 

“Ow, my bum,” she says, leaning over to rub at it where it hurts.

“Serves you right,” Félicité teases. 

Harry pokes her tongue out, but doesn’t get up off the floor, instead making herself comfortable on the carpet. “ _So_. Sex, hey?”

Félicité immediately stops laughing. She nods and moves to sit on the carpet, too, leaning against the chaise. “Yeah. Is it… do you mind if I ask you things?”

“Not at all,” Harry replies.

“It’s just. I can’t ask _Louis_. She’ll be weird about it,” Félicité begins. “I’ve already talked to mum and she’s okay with me having sex, as long as I’m safe. But she doesn’t know the first thing about sex with another girl. And I’m not close enough to Niall or Zayn to ask about any details. So it’s you.”

“Well, as long as I’m your _last choice_ ,” Harry teases. “Kidding,” she adds when she sees Félicité’s torn expression. “I don’t mind at all. Honestly. What did you want to know?”

Félicité shrugs. She picks at the nail polish on her big toe. “Just. How do you have sex?”

“However you want,” Harry says easily. “How about you tell me what you know, and I’ll answer any questions you have, yeah?”

Félicité nods. “Yeah, alright.”

What follows is probably not even the strangest conversation of Harry’s life (she’s been friends far too long with Niall for this conversation to even come _close_ ), but it’s certainly the strangest one of her day, that’s for certain.

“Jaimee and I are both virgins–”

“Virginity is a social construct,” Harry interrupts. “But go on,” she adds quickly at Félicité’s look.

“Fine, we’ve both never had sex before,” Félicité amends. Harry gives her a beaming smile, which makes Félicité just grin and shake her head. She folds her knees up to her chest, resting her chin on one. “We’re rarely alone, though, so it’s probably not even worth the discussion, right?”

“Sex is always worth the discussion,” Harry replies. “It’s not a one and done kind of talk either, it’s an ongoing conversation.”

Félicité makes a face and turns her chin further into her knees. “This is going to be weird, isn’t it?”

Harry shrugs. “Probably. But I’ll try to keep it as awkward free as I can.”

“Thanks.” Félicité gives her a small smile, the corners of her lips quirking upwards. 

“Alright, continue.”

Félicité takes a breath and closes her eyes for a few moments. She hesitates before blurting out, “what is safe sex for girls?”

“Using dental dams, or condoms, or latex gloves,” Harry replies. “Dental dams for oral sex, condoms or latex gloves for fingering. And people usually tend to avoid scissoring unless they’re trying for babies.” She widens her index and middle fingers and pushes both hands together so they’re doing the ‘scissoring’ action, hoping to get her point across.

Félicité’s eyes widen slowly. “I think this is too much.”

“We’ll go slower,” Harry says, dropping her hands to her sides. “You were going to tell me what you know?”

Félicité nods. “Obviously I know a bit. I’m sixteen and I have the internet.”

Harry grins. “ _Obviously_ ,” she echoes.

“I know that fingering is a thing, that… that going down on girls is a good… umm, is _good_. But that’s about it.”

“It’s about what feels good,” Harry starts. “For you and your partner. Communication is _absolutely_ the most important part about sex. You can’t know what she’s thinking unless she tells you, and vice versa.”

Félicité nods, a serious expression on her face. “Alright.”

“If and _when_ you are ready, talk about it with Jaimee,” Harry continues. “Find out what she likes, how she likes to be touched. And tell her the same.”

“What if I don’t know?” Félicité asks, chewing on her bottom lip. She looks at the carpet as she says it, like she’s embarrassed. Harry’s heart goes out to her.

“Masturbation is a pretty great way to find out.”

Félicité gives her a wide-eyed look. 

“It’s the perfect way to learn what you like and then communicate it to whomever you’re having sex with,” Harry adds breezily. 

Félicité’s face is bright red when she looks back over at Harry, ducking her head immediately when they make eye contact.

“Hey,” Harry says softly. “It’s nothing to be embarrassed about.”

“It’s not exactly easy to… do _that_ in a house full of people.”

“Do it in the shower. Or the bath,” Harry says with a shrug. “Just… start slow. That’s my biggest tip. Slow is good.”

Félicité nods, her hair curtaining her face again. “And… oral sex?”

“Is for when you’re good and ready,” Harry replies. “It’s absolutely fantastic, of course. I love it. And I’m circling back to that slow thing here, start off _slow_. And use protection.”

“Do you use protection?” Félicité asks.

Harry scrunches her nose, caught. “Not all of the time,” she admits. “And we absolutely should have when we first started having sex, but we didn’t because I had never had sex before and Louis was clean. We definitely use condoms or gloves when there are cuts or anything like that on our fingers. And we wash our hands thoroughly before and after sex. Hygiene is _extremely_ important.”

Félicité nods. “Alright, got it.” She bites down on her bottom lip again. 

“Anything else you want to ask?” Harry says softly.

“When did you first have sex?”

“I was seventeen,” Harry replies. “Louis is the first and only person I’ve ever been with.”

Félicité’s lips quirk into a small smile. “Do you think I’m too young?”

“Do you feel ready?”

“Yes and no,” Félicité replies honestly. 

“Only have sex when you feel ready,” Harry says. “If you feel pressured at all, definitely _don’t_ have sex. And if Jaimee pressures you–”

“She doesn’t,” Félicité quickly interrupts. “She _wouldn’t_. She’s not like that.”

“That’s good,” Harry replies. She shifts positions on the floor, her bottom growing numb from being in the one positon for so long. “Just… _don’t_ watch porn for tips. It’s disgusting and absolutely does _not_ give the right idea about what sex between two women is like.”

Félicité nods. “I won’t,” she says solemnly. “I think I’m ready to have sex. I just…” She cuts herself off with a sigh. “It seems like sex is a huge deal for some people. And I’m okay if we do or don’t. It doesn’t change how I feel about Jaimee. Not at all. She still makes my heart beat faster whenever I see her. And yeah, when we’re kissing it would be pretty great to do other stuff, but it just never feels like the right time.”

“Tell you what,” Harry says, levelling Félicité with a serious look. “If you feel like you’re ready this summer while Louis and I are away, you can come here. I’ll talk to Jay and Louis about it, and you can come stay here. Get the key off Niall or your mum, and–”

“You don’t think that’s weird? Me having sex for the first time at my big sister’s house?” Félicité interrupts.

Harry shrugs. “It doesn’t have to be weird. You’ve got your own room here. It’s better than booking a hotel which might be expensive and feel impersonal. This place feels homely. And Niall and Zayn are right in the building, too, in case anything happens.”

Félicité chews on her lip. “Thanks,” she says. “I don’t know if I’ll take you up on it–”

“But the offer is there,” Harry finishes, giving Félicité a warm smile. “We’re not going to be here for a while, so just let someone know you’re coming, alright?”

Félicité nods. “Alright.”

“Did you have any other questions?”

“Yeah…” Félicité trails off. “What’s in the locked room?”

Harry promptly flushes. “Um. Private things.” 

Félicité grins at her. “You’re _so red_ right now.”

Harry pokes her tongue out at Félicité, ducking her head. She covers her face with her hands. Félicité just laughs, not unkindly, but it makes Harry feel better when Félicité’s foot nudges her own. 

“Thank you,” she says. Harry looks up. “For, you know, everything.”

“That’s what sisters are for,” Harry replies. Félicité lifts up onto her knees and gives Harry a tight hug. Harry hugs back, hoping that she didn’t stuff up, or say something wrong, or do irreparable damage to Félicité by having this conversation with her.

~*~

“You what?” Louis asks later that night when they’re getting into bed.

“I didn’t tell her anything about _our_ sex life,” Harry says. She wriggles, getting under the covers. Her knickers ride up her bum and she huffs, pulling the material back into place. “But she needed someone to talk to.”

Louis makes a humming noise. She climbs into bed next to Harry, scooting close. It’s been a long day, and Harry is ready for sleep. 

“You don’t think I did anything wrong, do you?” Harry asks once she’s relayed the conversation to Louis.

“Not at all, love,” Louis replies honestly.

Harry lets out a sigh of relief. “Good. Because I said she could come here while we’re away if she wanted to.”

Louis’ head drops heavily onto Harry’s shoulder. “I’m not sure how I feel knowing that my little sister might be coming here to have sex for the first time while we’re on our honeymoon,” she begins. “But I’m _so relieved_ that she went to you and not me.”

“Why’s that?” Harry asks, carding her fingers through Louis’ hair. “Feel like you’re not down with the lingo kids use today?”

Louis lifts her head and gives Harry a _look_. “Right, that’s it,” she says, reaching out. Her hands immediately start tickling Harry’s stomach. She squeals, laughing loudly for a few seconds before clamping her mouth shut so she doesn’t wake anyone else in the house.

“Stop!” Harry says between laughs. Louis’ hands immediately stop and she leans over Harry, pushing her hair out of her face. 

“I’m proud of you,” Louis says seriously. “That conversation couldn’t have been easy for you, either. And you’ve handled it beautifully.”

Harry’s heart swells in her chest. “Yeah?”

Louis nods. “Yeah, love,” she says, kissing Harry softly. “It just shows that you’re going to be an amazing mum.”

Emotion surges through Harry at that statement. She pulls Louis close, kissing her passionately. “I love you so much.”

“I love you too,” Louis says. She kisses the tip of Harry’s nose before rolling off and flopping dramatically back on the bed. “But I am _not_ having sex tonight. Not when I know that my little sister was just in here talking to you about it. Bloody hell. I need a spliff or something.”

Harry pats Louis’ shoulder “There, there. You’ll be fine.”

Louis runs her hands over her face. “Right, tell me something boring to take my mind off it. Talk about mermaids or something.”

Harry makes an affronted noise. “Mermaids are _not boring_!”

Louis grins, looking over at Harry. Harry pokes her tongue out at Louis but melts into her arms a second later.

“I’ll talk about birds,” Harry says with a sniff.

“Sounds wonderful, love,” Louis replies softly. 

Harry’s not even two minutes into the topic when she realises that Louis is fast asleep. She kisses the top of Louis’ head before settling comfortably into her arms to fall asleep herself.

~*~  
_Louis_

As ridiculous as it is, Louis loves having a full house.

Her entire family is in town, getting ready for her and Harry’s wedding. And even though the wedding itself is in Paris, all of the Tomlinsons have made their way to London for the week leading up to the wedding. And Louis loves it.

She’s continuously busy – seeing to something, or being called upon by someone, and it gives her zero time to be in her own head. Which is something she desperately needs right now. Her family is the ultimate distraction.

Every night when she falls into bed, she’s asleep within minutes. She hasn’t needed to reach for her sleeping tablets in a couple of weeks, which she considers a win.

She’s even grown used to the noise again. She isn’t one hundred percent sure that Harry is used to it yet, as she seems to keep not being able to locate Harry around the house. But Harry always turns up, though, looking fresh-faced, and like every single one of Louis’ dreams come true.

The best part about it all is being able to spend as much time with her family as possible. 

And right now, it’s the Tomlinsons versus the Styles (plus extras because of Zayn and Niall) in a very intense game of laser tag. Louis’ the leader, because of course she is, and she has three of her sisters still left in the game. Daisy had been the first casualty, sadly, being tagged out by Niall. Phoebe had enacted her revenge on her twin by tagging out Zayn almost immediately after. 

Even though her lungs are burning a little in her chest from all of the exertion, Louis is having the time of her life.

She can see Gemma’s blonde head of hair peeking over the top of whatever she’s hiding behind and Louis grins. She gives Phoebe a wink and quickly moves to point her laser gun at Gemma. It makes a ridiculous noise, indicating that Gemma has been shot, and is now out of the game. 

“I’m so glad we didn’t decide to do paintball,” Gemma says as she starts to undo her vest. “Could you imagine being covered in bruises for the wedding photos? Mum would have a fit.”

“Mine too,” Louis agrees. “Now, where’s that fiancée of mine?”

Gemma just smirks at her. “As if I’m going to tell.”

Louis ducks back down to hide with Phoebe and she glances around, her laser gun still in hand.

“Pheebs,” she says. “You’re small, can you get through that?” She points over to the other side where there’s an opening that she’s positive Phoebe can fit through. 

Phoebe nods. “Yeah, I can,” she replies. 

“Good. Get over there and get up as high as you can. Shoot anyone who isn’t one of your sisters, alright? I’ll cover you.”

“Alright,” Phoebe replies with a grin. Louis peeks around their hiding space and motions for Phoebe to move. She keeps her gun aimed outwards, ready to hit anyone on the opposing team.

Phoebe makes it through without anyone noticing her. Which, of course, is when she gets hit. She’s just made it to the top and Louis can see Anissa’s head pop up and shoot Phoebe square in the chest. Phoebe sighs and climbs back down.

Louis keeps low, creeping around the edge of her hiding spot. She hears a noise and pauses, gaze darting everywhere. She edges around a little further and quickly shoots Niall in the chest.

“Where did you even come from?” Louis asks, gobsmacked.

Niall just gives her a cheeky grin. “You’ll never know.”

“I’m out, too,” Lottie says, appearing next to Niall. “Anissa got me.”

“Shit,” Louis hisses. “It’s two against two now.”

Louis dashes to another hiding spot. She sees a head of dark curly hair, but from this far away, she can’t tell if it’s Harry or if it’s Anissa. She has to admit, she’s surprised that Harry has lasted this long. Her fiancée is a little uncoordinated at the best of times, and she was hoping that it would work in her favour.

Louis crouches low and shuffles forwards, gun aimed out. She almost shoots Félicité in the chest and sighs with relief when she sees that it’s her sister. 

“Do you know where the others are?” she asks.

Félicité nods. “Yeah. Harry’s hiding behind the sideways door over there.” She gestures behind her to where there is, indeed, a door on its side. “I heard her chatting to Anissa before I came over here. I have no idea where Anissa is, though.”

“We should split up,” Louis says. “You take Harry, I’ll find Anissa.”

Félicité nods again. “Be careful, Anissa is _crazy_ good at this.”

“I’ve noticed,” Louis replies. She kisses Félicité’s cheek and bumps their guns together. “I’ll never say this again, but go shoot my fiancée.”

Félicité grins at her. “See you soon.”

Louis peers around the other side of her hiding spot. She can’t help the smile that blooms on her face when she sees a dark head of curly hair appear on the other side. She immediately shoots, catching Anissa square in the back.

“Good game,” Louis says sincerely. “Now, where’s Harry?”

Anissa smirks. “I’m not telling.”

There’s a muffled noise followed by a bang and Louis looks over, gun outstretched. Félicité appears a moment later, looking harried. 

“Harry got me,” she says. “Wait? Who’s out? You or Anissa?”

“Me. It’s just Louis and Harry now,” Anissa replies. “C’mon, let’s go get ice cream.”

Félicité perks up at the mention of ice cream and she follows Anissa out of the room. 

Louis huffs, and ducks down behind another makeshift wall. She can’t hear a thing, which is highly annoying. She makes her way as quietly and as carefully as possible to the next wall over, darting between the gaps, hoping that Harry doesn’t see or hear her.

“ _Louieeeeee_ ,” Harry calls. _Crap_. She doesn’t sound that far away.

Louis keeps her gun in front of her. She licks her lips and slowly peeks her head up to see over the edge of the wall. She doesn’t see Harry’s figure at all. Harry calls out her name again. She sounds further away this time. Louis takes her chances and moves to the next spot. She crouches low, pausing for a moment before lifting her head.

“Hello,” Harry says. 

Louis quickly reacts, aiming her gun at Harry, ready to shoot her with a laser when she’s shot a fraction quicker. She looks down at where the laser hit and she pouts. Full on pouts. 

“Well, how very dare you,” Louis says, put out.

Harry grins. “I win.” She reaches out and pulls Louis close by the belt loops of her jeans. “Now kiss me, you fool.” Louis can’t help but laugh as Harry kisses her right there in the middle of the laser tag room. She purposefully prods Harry in the bum with her gun, which earns her a nip to her bottom lip.

“Good game,” Louis says when they part. 

“It was,” Harry agrees, her beaming smile making Louis’ stomach swoop pleasantly. “I can’t believe I won.”

“Me either,” Louis says as they exit the room.

Their families are all waiting for them when they step out of the dark room and into the bright lights of the outside. 

“Who won?” Lottie asks.

“Me!” Harry exclaims proudly. She holds her gun high in the air and laughs when everyone applauds her. Even Louis’ own sisters applaud her. Traitors, the lot of them, Louis thinks.

“I’m starving,” Niall says. “Can we go get food now?”

“Yes, we can, Niall,” Louis replies.

“Wait! First – post laser tag selfie,” Niall says, making everyone stop. She pulls out a selfie stick from god knows where, and lines up her phone to take a photo of all of them. 

“Who even uses selfie sticks these days?” Gemma teases fondly, prodding Niall in the shoulder once the photo has been taken. “Grow longer arms, Niall.”

Niall pokes her tongue out at Gemma. “Harry, your sister is being mean, tell her off.”

Harry gives Niall an amused look. “ _I_ could’ve taken the photo,” she says, “I have long arms.”

“ _Everything_ about you is long, Harry,” Niall replies. “C’mon, let’s get some food.”

Louis shakes her head, smiling at this bunch of idiots she calls her family. She loves each and every one of them more than words would ever be able to tell.

~*~

“Thanks again for this, by the way.”

“Thank me when we’re not in the middle of class, Louis,” Liam says, exasperated fondness lacing her tone. Louis grins and bumps her hip into Liam’s. 

“Still,” Louis says. She accepts the offered ingredients from Liam and adds them to the dish she’s making. 

It’s been something they had been doing for a few weeks now – attending cooking classes. Louis because she needs to learn how to cook _properly_. And without Harry’s help or supervision. Liam is with her because Louis wants to spend as much time with her as possible before she goes on her honeymoon. 

So far, their lessons have been pretty great. Today is their last one and they’re preparing something simple but tasty, and if Louis is honest, she loves the eating part at the end of the class more than anything. And bonding with Liam, of course. She loves that more than she loves the food.

And it’s exactly what she needed, too. Especially after everything that’s happened this year, and at the end of last year. Louis had shut Liam out, too. And it’s something she’s still struggling to forgive herself for. But she’s working on that in therapy, and Liam is more than happy to spend time with her now, in a cooking class of all places, so Louis counts that as a win. 

Louis hums as she stirs the sauce she’s making from scratch. She has a moment to herself to just be proud. She did that. She made that sauce all by herself. Well, Liam helped a bit, but she’s been rather insistent that Louis actually do things on her own. Which is what Louis wanted when they signed up for this class. 

The hardest part about this whole thing has been keeping it a secret from Harry. She has no clue what Liam and Louis have been doing together once a week for the last ten weeks, and she isn’t going to spill the beans now. Metaphorically, of course. She doesn’t literally want to spill anything in this class. It’s far too messy to clean up. 

But she has an entire evening planned where she cooks for Harry. She’s even somehow managed to get Niall and Zayn to let her use their flat since hers is currently occupied by the many, many members of her family. She had to agree to let Niall have any leftovers, but Louis thinks that the deal was worth making. She’s going to recreate this exact meal for Harry tomorrow night as one last date night for them before they jet off to Paris.

 _Paris_.

Louis’ stomach swoops pleasantly at the thought. 

In less than a week’s time, she’s going to be in Paris marrying the love of her life. She is so excited that it’s probably akin to a kid on Christmas. Or Louis as a kid on her birthday. Either way, she’s extremely excited and she just can’t _wait_. 

Right now, though, if Louis doesn’t get her head out of the clouds, she’s going to burn the sauce she’s spent so long perfecting. She takes it off the heat of the hob and nods to herself, satisfied that it isn’t burning. Liam passes over the next ingredients and Louis takes over searing the meat in the pan. Everything smells so good and Louis’ mouth really hasn’t stopped watering since everyone started cooking.

Because it’s their last class, it was a chance for them to work on a recipe of their own, rather than one their instructor, Mary, gave them. Mary’s been absolutely lovely with Louis. She didn’t poke fun at Louis for being twenty-seven and having zero cooking skills. In fact, it made her mother Louis a bit. Which Louis kind of loves. She appreciates that Mary took the time to help her, and she especially appreciates that Mary has had endless patience with her when she asked ‘how do you whisk?’ in their very first lesson. 

But now, Louis thinks that she’s actually doing something that Mary will be proud of. 

She’s a sweet, older lady, with an air of a doting grandmother about her. She reminds Louis of her Gran when she was younger. Even the apron Mary wears every week is something that Louis’ Gran absolutely would’ve worn when she was alive. 

“Lou, check the pan,” Liam says, interrupting Louis’ thoughts yet again. She feels a little guilty for getting a bit lost. Today is _not_ the day to be getting caught up in her own head.

She takes the pan off the hob and breathes a quick sigh of relief that it isn’t burnt. She carefully serves their food onto two plates, adding her delicious sauce at the end. She can’t help but clap her hands once together, beaming proudly at her work.

“Where’s me phone?” she mumbles, digging into the pocket of her jeans. She takes a few quick photos to show her mum later when she gets home.

Mary wanders over to their station, a proud look on her face. “Louis, this looks _wonderful_!”

Louis beams at her. “Thanks, Mary.” Wordlessly, she passes a knife and fork to Mary for her to have a taste test. She watches Mary’s face intently, looking for any expression of disgust. But she finds none. Mary chews, her eyes closing briefly, and she nods.

“That is superb, Louis, your best yet.”

Louis thinks that if she smiles any harder, her face is going to be stuck like that forever. “Thank you!”

“Excellent work, ladies,” Mary says. She gives them a wink and passes her utensils back to Louis. She wanders over to the next station as Louis gets out clean utensils for herself and Liam. 

“This is really good, Lou,” Liam says as she takes her first bite. “Harry is going to be so proud of you.”

Louis nudges her shoulder into Liam’s, happy. “Thanks, Li. You’re the best for coming with me.” She cuts into her food and takes a huge bite, holding back a moan – it certainly isn’t the right place to be letting out those noises, she thinks.

Liam nods, chewing her mouthful. “I’m just glad you can cook, now. You’ll have to try your hand at a Sunday roast next.”

Louis shakes her head. “Getting a bit ahead of yourself there, Payno,” she says, shoving more food into her mouth. Oh yes, Harry is definitely going to like this, she thinks. “Roasts are Harry’s thing. I think she’d be put out if I suddenly wanted to do one.”

“You’re probably right,” Liam says with a crooked grin. 

After their class has ended, Mary gives them all a certificate of achievement that she’s printed out herself. Louis holds hers, pride blooming in her chest at the piece of paper. This is one of her greater achievements, she thinks.

“Did you manage to get that surprise for Harry sorted?” Liam asks once they’ve left their class, and said their goodbyes to Mary. 

“Yeah,” Louis says with a nod. “It’s all sorted. Harry is going to be absolutely stunned.”

Liam grins. “I think everyone will be.”

Louis shrugs a shoulder. “It’s the best surprise that I can give her. I don’t mind. I’m stupidly in love.”

They get off their bus, stepping out onto the cool street. It had been easier to catch the bus from Liam’s street to their cooking classes, as the bus stopped right out the front of the building. 

“I’m proud of you,” Liam says when they’re walking the rest of the way to Liam’s house. 

Louis loops her arm through the crook of Liam’s elbow and presses in close. “I love you so much, Liam,” she says. “You’re the best friend a girl could have.”

Liam’s eyes crinkle in the corners. “Same for me, Lou.”

Louis kisses her cheek noisily, just to see Liam squirm. She loves Liam a ridiculous amount. She’s so grateful that Liam is in her life. She’s literally stuck with Louis through thick and thin, and Louis literally can’t thank her enough for that. 

“But I’m still proud of you,” Liam continues. “You haven’t let that article with Evan affect you, and I know that must have been tough. But you persisted, and I’m so proud of you.”

Louis nods, not trusting herself to speak.

They stop walking and Liam turns to face Louis. She places both of her hands on Louis’ shoulders and looks her right in the eyes. Louis can’t help but meet Liam’s gaze.

“You’re incredible, you know? No, don’t look away. I’m telling you something important here. You are incredible. You spend so much time making sure that everyone else knows how extraordinary they are, it’s time you know that you are extraordinary, too,” Liam says. There’s a certainty to her voice, one that dares Louis to argue with her, because she would be more than happy to prove Louis wrong. “You face insurmountable odds and you just keep on going. You’re an inspiring human being. And I’ll be glad if my daughter is half as phenomenal as you are.”

Tears prick the backs of Louis’ eyes as she pulls Liam in for a crushing hug. She buries her face in Liam’s neck, just breathing her in. Liam holds on just as tightly, holding her in a way that only Liam can. 

“Christ,” Louis begins wetly. “If that is half as good as the speech you’re giving at my wedding I’m going to be a wreck.”

Liam laughs. She loosens her hold on Louis enough to look at her. “There will be non-stop tears by the time I’m done,” she promises. She presses her lips to Louis’ own in a chaste, familiar kiss. 

“You’re going to kill me, Payno,” Louis mutters, pulling back completely to wipe at her eyes. 

“Kill you with kindness,” Liam replies. She takes Louis’ hand and they walk in silence the rest of the way to Liam’s house. Which Louis is thankful for, because it gives her enough time to compose herself before seeing Sophia. The last thing she needs is to be walking into their house with tears rolling down her cheeks.

“We’re home,” Liam calls out upon entering the house. Louis kicks off her shoes, her socked feet silent against the carpet.

“Hi, love,” Sophia says, wandering into the room, Willow trailing after her, dressed in the pyjamas that Louis got her for her first birthday. She’s surprised that they still fit Willow all of these months later.

“Eee!” Willow squeals, running to Louis as fast as her little legs can carry her. Louis bends down and scoops Willow up into her arms, giving her noisy, smacking kisses all over her face. 

“Hello my little darling,” Louis says as she settles Willow on her hip.

Willow starts babbling, saying things only she can understand, but Louis nods and makes appropriate noises like Willow is saying the most important things in the world. 

“Hello, love,” Louis adds to Sophia as she walks passed, kissing her on the cheek briefly. 

Louis sets Willow down on the floor and follows her to wherever Willow is leading her. She babbles the whole time, and Louis sits down on the carpet near where Willow’s toys are. She passes Louis some things and Louis immediately settles in to play with her for a little while. She can hear Liam and Sophia in the kitchen, and figures she isn’t going to be missed for the moment.

She listens to Willow’s chatter and adds her own comments every now and then. Willow gives her big, mostly gummy smiles. Louis grins when she sees Willow’s little front teeth. Willow passes a stuffed teddy to Louis, and she nods, accepting it.

“We’ll call this one Payno,” she says. Willow looks at her before nodding once. She uses the teddy to kiss Willow’s cheek, grinning when Willow laughs.

They keep playing, adding blocks to Willow’s collection, and setting the teddy in a strategic spot to look over everything. Willow claps her chubby little hands together and Louis immediately copies her. She presses a kiss to Willow’s cheek and grins when she sags into Louis’ arms. 

“Oop, someone’s tired,” she comments softly, nosing Willow’s soft hair. Willow yawns and rubs her fists into her eyes. Louis gets up, holding her close. She wanders up the stairs to Willow’s room, swaying Willow gently in her arms.

She starts to sing an old lullaby, knowing that’s what she likes to go to sleep to. It’s no wonder, Louis thinks as Willow’s eyes blink heavily, Liam has a wonderful singing voice. Willow’s hand comes up to rest on Louis’ cheek, her fingers pressing in _just so_. Louis feels tears pricking the backs of her eyes for the second time this evening.

“Good night, Willow,” she says softly once Willow is fast asleep in her arms. She settles her into her crib, pulling the blanket over her little body. She just stares for a few long moments, marvelling at this magnificent being that Liam and Sophia created together. Willow’s lips smack together in her sleep, and Louis can’t help but smile. She brushes a finger over Willow’s brow before stepping back, scared to wake her. 

Louis’ hand runs over the wood of the side of the crib, thinking about when Liam made this with her own two hands all that time ago. She takes in the entire room, the walls with painted clouds and animals that Zayn had come over to do. The little bookshelf filled with so many books – some that Louis had purchased herself. This entire room was created with love, and it absolutely shows.

With an emotional, shaky breath, Louis shuts off the overhead light, and grabs the baby monitor. The mobile above Willow’s bed turns slowly, creating small shadows on the wall from the night light. Louis gives her one last, lingering look, before pulling the door half way closed and stepping into the hall. Where she promptly bumps into Liam. Liam’s arms shoot out and catch Louis before she can stumble too far, and she gives her an amused smile.

“How long have you been standing there?” Louis whispers. 

“Long enough,” Liam replies easily. She winks at Louis and heads down the stairs, Louis following after her.

“I want one,” Louis says as she sits down on the sofa next to Sophia.

“One what, love?” Sophia asks, putting her hand on Louis’ thigh, patting it.

“A baby.”

Sophia’s lips quirk upwards in a smirk. “You can have ours, free of charge.”

Liam makes a spluttering noise as she sits on Sophia’s other side, but Sophia pays her no mind.

“She’s been a right little madam this week,” Sophia says. “I’d miss her, but you can take her when she’s being like that.”

Louis scrunches her noise. “Erm…” 

“Why don’t you and Harry start trying for a baby?” Sophia asks, turning to face Louis a little better.

Louis sighs. “I’d love to,” she begins, “but we’re going to be away for a year, and then Harry’s starting uni when we get back. I don’t want to derail her career before it even gets started.”

“Talk to her, mate,” Liam says. “We all know how much Harry wants a baby. And she’s already signed up to do uni part time.”

Louis chews on her bottom lip. “I just don’t want to push her, y’know?”

Sophia lets out a long sigh that has Louis blinking at her, wondering what on earth could’ve caused that. “Look,” she starts, “Harry _wants kids_. As soon as physically possible. She’s mentioned it to me _loads_. And she’s been with Willow when she’s been in a mood, too, which hasn’t put her off. Just talk to her when you get home and ask her if she wants to start actively trying for a baby.”

Louis nods. “You’re right–”

“Of course I am,” Sophia says with a smirk. “But trust me on this, she’ll be thrilled at the prospect.”

“And you get to have fun trying, too,” Liam adds, waggling her eyebrows in Louis’ direction. Louis snorts and lays her head on Sophia’s shoulder so she doesn’t have to look at that expression any more.

“All sex with Harry is fun,” she comments, just to get Liam back. She grins when Liam’s face immediately changes. She rolls her eyes at Louis and Louis grins, reaching over Sophia to poke Liam in the arm. “Love you both.”

“We love you too, Louis,” Sophia says. She cards her fingers through Louis’ hair, making Louis immediately relax against her. Sophia is right – it definitely won’t hurt to bring up the topic with Harry at all. It’s a conversation that Louis finds herself looking forward to.

~*~

“This is so cool,” Félicité says as she passes Louis in the shop. Louis grins after her.

Bringing Félicité here to _Gay’s The Word_ was something she had wanted to do ever since her little sister came out to her, but hadn’t had the chance. She’s never actually been here herself, which is rubbish, now that she thinks about it. She knows that Harry has been here a few times, getting whatever new book she couldn’t wait to get her hands on. 

But it’s nice to be able to bring Félicité here and share this experience with her. Louis has a basket on her arm and it’s already getting a little heavy with the books she has in it. 

It’s such an incredible feeling walking into a store that has books tailored for her and her sister. What’s even more incredible is seeing books in this store that have come from the publishing company that Louis bought. They have certainly made good on their end of the deal so far. It absolutely fills her with joy seeing such a fantastic selection of books. She adds a few to her basket, just so they have them in their library at home.

“Can I leave this here?” Louis politely asks a sales assistant. “It’s getting a bit heavy.”

“Sure,” Emma, the sales assistant says with a smile. She clears a space for Louis to leave her basket at the end of the counter, out of the way, so people hopefully won’t poke into it and take what she’s already got in it.

“Thanks,” Louis says. “I appreciate it.” 

Emma gives her a nod and Louis continues browsing. She spots the series of books that Niall read last year on Harry’s kindle, and she adds them to her growing collection. Niall hadn’t shut up about that series for weeks – it was heart-warming to hear her be so passionate about the series. Louis chews her lip for a moment before adding a second copy of the series. She wants Niall to have a physical set as well. 

She spots Félicité at a shelf of books towards the back and makes her way over. Félicité doesn’t hear her as she approaches and Louis looks on with amusement over her sister’s shoulder. That is until she realises that it’s a sex book that Félicité has in her hands. Which she promptly drops when she realises that Louis is standing so close to her.

“Oh my god,” Félicité mumbles. Her face is bright red and she won’t meet Louis’ gaze at all. 

“It’s alright,” Louis says. “Add it to the pile. I’ve got an overflowing basket at the tills.”

Félicité mumbles something unintelligible and turns her back to Louis. Louis takes the hint and wanders over to another section, trying her hardest not to focus on the fact that her little sister is looking at a sex book. 

Not that she has any place to judge, of course. Louis secretly read books like that whenever she could get her hands on them at Félicité’s age. Mostly before she came out, because she was curious, despite being in denial about being a lesbian. And books were all she could get her hands back on then. It wasn’t until she was in uni and had a stable internet connection that she could safely venture into other areas of exploration. 

Louis shudders, thinking of Félicité seeing the horrors that she saw. She hopes that Félicité never has to see the things that Louis saw on the internet the first time she went looking for things. 

It’s that thought that has Louis turning around and walking back over to Félicité, who no longer has the book in her hands. 

“Please get this,” Louis begins, picking up the book that Félicité had put back on the shelf. “Please get this over searching for porn on the internet. That stuff is not reliable, the actresses get treated so badly, and are abused, and drugged and–” 

Félicité snatches the book out of Louis’ hands. “I’ll get it if you _stop talking_ about porn. _Please_.”

Louis nods. She shifts her weight from one foot to the other. “Harry told me what you two talked about the other day.”

Félicité’s face burns brighter. “Can we not talk about this?”

Louis sucks her lips between her teeth for a moment. “Just… I’m glad you had Harry to talk to.” She gives her sister a nod and wanders over to the other side of the shop completely. She figures that she’s embarrassed Félicité enough for one day.

While she’s browsing, Louis picks up a few rainbow coloured notebooks that she thinks Harry will like. 

A little while later, Félicité reappears, empty handed, but less red in the face. Louis gives her a small smile and asks if she’s finished. When she says she is, Louis wanders over to Emma, the sales assistant, to ring up her sale. There’s far more books than she was thinking of getting, but she doesn’t care. She’s able to do this for Félicité, and it’s something she’d do again in a heartbeat.

Louis organises delivery of the books, and after paying for everything, her total comes to much more than she’s ever spent in a single bookshop in her entire life. She doesn’t regret it, though. Especially not when Félicité plucks a book from the selection and pops it into her handbag. 

“Lottie’s ready to meet us,” Félicité says, staring at her phone. 

“Alright.” They exit the shop and wander down to the café where Lottie is waiting for them. She’s sitting at a table, a cappuccino sitting in front of her already. 

“Since when do you drink coffee?” Louis asks as she sits down opposite Lottie after she and Félicité place their orders.

“Since I started doing cosmetology,” Lottie replies. She picks up her cup and takes a big sip.

Louis shakes her head. “Kids these days,” she teases. “I saw your latest video, before you got here. I just haven’t had a chance to tell you yet. It was excellent. I love your summer looks the best.”

Lottie smiles at Louis. “Thanks,” she says. “I like them, too. Daisy and Phoebe keep bugging me about doing their make-up for my channel, but Mum keeps telling them no.”

“Well, they _are_ only five years old,” Louis jokes. 

Félicité snorts at Louis’ comment. “They’ll wear Mum down eventually.” 

Louis sighs. “I know they will.”

Louis’ and Félicité’s drinks are ready a moment later, and she gets up to collect both of them, making her way back to the table without spilling anything. She sets Félicité’s down in front of her, and immediately takes a sip of her tea. 

“I’m excited to go horseback riding in Paris,” Lottie says, setting her phone down on the table. 

“Me too,” Félicité says. “Mum’s taking all of us older girls the day we get there.”

“That’ll be fun,” Louis replies. “I’m a little jealous that I can’t come with you.”

“We’ll have to go when you get back,” Lottie says. 

“I’d like that.”

They chat about their lives, Louis asking annoying questions that only a big sister can get away with. She enjoys moments like this. She doesn’t realise just how grown up her sisters are until she spends quality time like this with them. She misses them so much when they’re apart for so long. 

“What other things are you doing while here in London?” Louis asks, finishing off her tea. 

“We’re going to the Natural History Museum tomorrow,” Félicité replies. “The twins learned about it at school and they’re excited to go. It’ll be fun.”

Louis smiles. “I’m glad you’re getting to do so many fun things while you’re here.”

Lottie nods. “We’re hoping to go to the London Eye, too.”

“Then in a few days it’s off to Paris,” Félicité says pointedly. “Are you nervous?”

Louis grins. “Not at all,” she replies honestly. “I’ve been looking forward to this day since the first moment I told Harry that I loved her.”

“You’re such a sop,” Lottie teases. 

Louis ducks her head. “I am, I am.”

And honestly? She wouldn’t have it any other way.

~*~

Later that evening, Louis has almost everything prepared for dinner for her and Harry. She’s been nervous the entire time without Liam’s soothing presence next to her – what if she messes up and burns down Zayn and Niall’s flat? She would never forgive herself for that. She’s been moments away from calling Liam to ask her to come and help several times during this preparation process, but she’s forced herself to put her phone down and to concentrate like Liam was actually there with her, and she was in her cooking class, not in someone else’s flat.

Mostly, it has worked. Which she is grateful for.

But right now, she needs to go and get changed for dinner. She checks that the food isn’t going to burn before heading for the guest room where she’s left a change of clothes. She’s just finished getting dressed when the doorbell rings. It startles her, as it’s a different tune to the one in her own flat. 

She leaves her shoes off and hurries for the door, pulling it open. She gives Harry a broad smile when she sees her beautiful face and steps aside to let her fiancée in. 

“Something smells good,” Harry comments as she follows Louis through the flat. 

“Thank you,” Louis says. She reaches back and squeezes Harry’s hand before pushing the kitchen door open. She has everything set up already, the table has a white table cloth on it, there are two glasses waiting for the wine that she has chilling in the fridge, and there are even two lit candles on the table. Just for something extra.

“Did you cook?” Harry asks. 

Louis nods. “Yeah, just gimme a sec,” she says. She pulls on oven mitts and opens the oven door, keeping back while a burst of heat escapes. 

Once everything is arranged perfectly on their plates, Louis carries them over to the table and sets them down. She can’t help but smile at Harry’s expression. She presses a quick kiss to Harry’s lips before opening the refrigerator and finding the wine. She pours them a healthy glass each and switches off the overhead lights, leaving them only in the lights of the candles and fairy lights that she had strung up earlier.

“This is _incredible_ ,” Harry breathes, turning on the spot to take everything in. “Lou! You cooked!”

“I did,” Louis says. She washes her hands and takes a seat at the small table. “C’mon, let’s eat before it gets cold.”

Harry immediately sits down after washing her hands, too. Louis feels Harry’s foot pressing against her own under the table. She loves the little touches like that. 

“Wow,” Harry says after she’s had her first mouthful. “ _Wow_. Shit, Louis, this is delicious.”

“You sound so surprised,” Louis teases.

Harry’s nose crinkles. “A little. You don’t cook. Like. _Ever_.”

“I do now,” Louis replies. She fills Harry in on her and Liam’s cooking adventures over the last couple of months. It’s absolutely thrilling to see Harry’s expression as she realises exactly what Louis has been doing on her nights out with Liam.

“I want to be a good wife,” Louis adds, spearing her fork into her meat, making sure that it’s got a good helping of her delicious sauce on it. “And you’ll be at uni and tired from that. You don’t need to come home and cook on top of that.”

“Lou,” Harry says softly. She sets her cutlery down and she reaches for Louis’ hand, lacing their fingers together. “You couldn’t be a bad wife even if you tried. Cooking or not cooking isn’t going to change that.”

Louis shrugs a shoulder. She brings Harry’s hand to her lips and kisses her knuckles. “If it means that my baby has one less thing to worry about, then I’ll happily do it.” She looks up and sees Harry’s eyes shining in the dim lighting. Harry cups Louis’ face in the hand Louis has just kissed and she leans into it, closing her eyes. Harry’s fingers card through Louis’ hair and come to rest on her shoulder. 

“I love you so much.” Their lips meet in a slow kiss. Louis can taste the sauce on Harry’s tongue, giving it a sweeter taste than it actually has. 

It doesn’t last long, but it’s enough to have Louis’ toes curling. She keeps her eyes closed, savouring the moment. 

“Finish your dinner,” Harry whispers, her breath warm against Louis’ cheek. Louis nods and turns back to her dinner, more than a little distracted.

They continue to talk about Louis’ cooking classes, as Harry seems keen to pry every last detail about the lessons from Louis. She can’t help but indulge Harry, pulling out her phone to show her photos of her first lesson, right through to the meal she and Liam had created just days beforehand. 

“Your progress is so good,” Harry comments, fingers swiping over the screen of the phone. They’ve finished eating now, and are just enjoying the last of their glasses of wine. Pride blooms in Louis’ chest at the compliment. “I love that you took photos to document how each lesson went.”

“I wanted to show you when it was over,” Louis replies. She moves her hand to rest on Harry’s thigh, pushing the material of her dress up so she can come into contact with skin. Harry automatically turns into Louis’ touch. 

“I’m very proud of you,” Harry says. She leans over and kisses Louis softly on the lips again. “So very proud of you.”

Louis gives her a small smile. “Thank you, love. That means a lot to me.”

Harry kisses her again, cupping Louis’ face in both of her hands. “It means a lot to me, too. That you wanted to do this. Despite the fact that we could hire a chef, or we could order in every night.”

Louis shrugs. “There’s nothing like a home cooked meal, though.” Harry’s lips press against hers a little more firmly. She gets out of her seat and pushes Louis’ chair back enough so that she can climb onto Louis’ lap. 

Her arms drape over Louis’ shoulders as she settles herself on Louis’ lap properly. Louis’ hands automatically go to Harry’s hips, steadying her. She loses herself in the kiss, her body responding to every single movement of Harry’s hands. She pushes the fabric of Harry’s dress out of the way so she can cup her arse, and really, by now she shouldn’t be surprised that Harry isn’t wearing any underwear, but it still sends a thrill through her. 

“Someone’s a little naughty,” she whispers against Harry’s kiss swollen lips. She gets a grin her for statement. 

“You know I hate wearing knickers,” Harry says, pressing a little harder against Louis. “Don’t be shocked but I’m not wearing a bra, either.”

“Oh, I can tell, love,” Louis replies. She cups one of Harry’s breasts over the fabric of the dress and lets her thumb rub over the nipple just to hear the sharp intake of Harry’s breath. 

“We’ve got the place to ourselves, right?” Harry asks as she pulls back. Her eyes are completely dark and are shining with lust. 

Louis nods. “Yeah. Yeah, we do.”

“Good.” Harry slides off Louis’ lap and blows out the candles. “C’mon.”

Louis hastily follows Harry through the flat to the guest room. She giggles when Harry’s hands immediately go for the zipper on her dress, pushing it off Louis’ body. Their lips keep finding each other as they undress, getting out of their clothes as quickly as they can. 

“Hey, wait, I was going to ask something,” Louis says as she climbs up onto the bed next to Harry. 

“What?” 

“What do you think about maybe starting to try for a baby?” 

Harry’s eyes widen dramatically. “I _love_ it. C’mon, put a baby in me right now.”

Louis snorts at the statement. “Hazza…”

“You know I want babies,” Harry begins, “and we can start trying for them right now. I want that.”

“Are you sure?” 

“Lou, I’ve been trying to get you to get me pregnant since the first second I saw you. Of _course_ I’m sure.” 

Louis leans over and kisses Harry soundly on the lips. “Alright.” The grin she gets in response makes Louis’ insides sing. 

Harry spreads her legs, bracketing Louis’ hips with them. She curls a leg around the backs of Louis’ thighs and pulls her forwards. She grins up at Louis when Louis stumbles with the force of the action. She pushes Louis’ hair out of her face and tilts her chin up. Louis is hopelessly in love with this amazing creature in her arms. She dips her head and kisses Harry slowly, enjoying the soft little sighs that spill from her lips. 

It doesn’t take long for the kisses to turn to something a little more heated. Louis reaches between their bodies and parts Harry’s folds with her fingers, relishing in the way Harry arches up into her. She loves how wet Harry is, that she is the one who made her that turned on. 

“Are you sure? I’m kind of dying to just eat you out,” Louis asks, two fingers buried deep in Harry’s vagina.

“I’m sure,” Harry replies breathily. “C’mon, we’ve never done this before, and I’m excited to do this for the first time.”

Only Harry could have that level of enthusiasm with Louis’ fingers pumping in and out of her slowly. She pats Louis’ arm and nods at her again. Louis shifts, removing her fingers from inside of Harry. Her moan fills the room and Louis just grins. She brings her fingers to her mouth and slowly sucks Harry’s wetness from them, making sure they’re completely clean. 

It’s awkward getting into position, Louis thinks when Harry almost accidentally kicks her in the face, but soon their pussies are pressed together for the first time ever. Louis thinks it’s completely odd. She has no idea how this can be pleasurable, really.

“Stop thinking,” Harry says, breaking Louis’ train of thought. “And just _move_.”

“Scissoring is such a weird name,” Louis comments. “I get it, but yeah. It’s weird.” Harry glares at her, and Louis starts to move her hips.

The wet drag of Harry’s pussy against her own is odd. The entire action is odd, but once they get a rhythm up, Louis starts to enjoy it. She has Harry’s leg thrown over her shoulder, which she barely spares a thought to. She lets out a shaky moan, pressing down harder to get more friction between them.

Sweat begins to form on Louis’ brow, her breathing laboured. She turns her face towards Harry’s calf and kisses it, needing to kiss _some_ part of her. 

“’M close,” Harry pants underneath her. Louis nods, lips dragging against Harry’s calf. She moves her hips a little faster, trying to get that glorious feeling under her own skin.

Harry shifts and Louis’ eyes widen. She keeps up the movement, panting heavily. Her legs are cramping, but she can’t bring herself to care right now. Not when she’s so close. Not when Harry is so close. 

“ _Oh_ ,” Harry whimpers. And it’s the tremble of her body as she orgasms that brings Louis over the edge. 

It’s not the most intense or powerful orgasm of Louis’ life, but when she looks down at Harry and sees her trembling, naked body, glistening with sweat, she knows it’s one that she’s going to remember for a long time.

“How long do I have to stay here?” Louis asks, trying to get her breathing back under control. Her pussy is still firmly pressed against Harry’s own, sticky wetness between them.

“A few minutes?” Harry replies. She pushes her hair off her sweaty brow and bundles it up into a knot on the top of her head. 

Louis crinkles her nose. “I don’t think I’m going to be able to stay here that long,” she admits. “My legs are cramping.”

Harry reaches over and pats the part of Louis’ bum that she can reach. “There, there,” she says. “Now hush, you’re trying to get me pregnant here.”

Louis rolls her eyes but stays put. The next two minutes are excruciatingly long but eventually, Louis moves and collapses on the bed next to Harry, absolutely exhausted. Harry immediately curls into Louis’ arms, burrowing in as close as possible, tucking her head under Louis’ chin. 

“So,” Harry begins slowly, purposefully. “Dinner was lovely.”

Louis laughs and tightens her arms around Harry. Harry lifts her head and Louis kisses her slowly, enjoying taking their time. She runs her hand down Harry’s back, stopping at her arse. She squeezes the flesh briefly before letting her hand drift between Harry’s legs. Harry parts them automatically and sighs against Louis’ lips when she rubs over Harry’s clit. Harry sighs, breaking the kiss. Her eyes are closed and she sucks her bottom lip into her mouth, chewing on it. Louis just watches her as she fingers Harry. She loves the expressions of Harry’s face as she goes through the stages of an orgasm. It’s absolutely intoxicating, and Louis can’t get enough.

Harry’s eyes fly open when Louis hits her g-spot. She digs her fingers into whatever part of Louis’ body she can reach. Her entire body shakes as she orgasms, her heavy breathing filling the otherwise silent room. Louis dips her head and kisses across Harry’s shoulder, letting her lips linger on the points where she’d love nothing more than to give Harry a love bite. 

“Oh, fuck me that was nice,” Harry mumbles, closing her legs around Louis’ hand, trapping it there.

“Nicer than dinner?’ Louis teases. Harry pokes her tongue out but nods. Louis grins and dips her head, kissing Harry again. 

“I hope I get pregnant,” Harry mumbles sleepily against Louis’ lips. “I want this so much.”

“Me too, love,” Louis agrees. She removes her hand from between Harry’s legs and curves her fingers over Harry’s stomach, hoping that there will be a baby in there one day soon.

~*~

The day before they’re due to leave for Paris finds Louis elbow deep in flour, making cupcakes with Anne. She feels very sorry for the state of Anne’s kitchen right now. She should’ve known that pushing her luck with food related things two days in a row was over doing it.

“It’s alright, love,” Anne says fondly. She dusts her hands on her apron and joins Louis, who is far too afraid of the mess to move her hands from where they’re cupping a handful of flour – the only part she was able to catch out of the bag that broke.

“I’m so sorry,” she repeats for the sixth time in a row.

Anne clicks her tongue and shakes her head, chuckling. “No more apologies. These things happen.” She gets a bowl for Louis to pour the flour in her hands into, and then she gets out a little dustpan and brush to clean up the mess. Louis squats, immediately helping her clean up the mess she made. 

They finally get the floor resembling more like the tiles that they used to be before the flour went everywhere, which Louis counts as a win. 

“This is why I always buy extra,” Anne says as she pulls another bag of flour out of the cupboard. Louis holds her hands up like she’s surrendering. 

“I think I’ll leave that part to you this time,” she says. Anne chuckles. 

“Alright,” she agrees. She opens the bag with an expertise that Louis is forever jealous of. She watches as Anne uses her measuring cup to take out the exact amount and add it to the bowl. 

It’s meant to be a joint effort, making these cupcakes, but Louis can’t help stand and watch in awe as Anne moves about the kitchen like a pro. No wonder where Harry gets it from, she thinks. 

“This part is pain free, I promise,” Anne says. “Just turn on the KitchenAid and watch as everything mixes together.”

With a decisive nod, Louis does just that. She switches it on and watches the machine mix together the ingredients that are in the big stainless steel bowl. It’s always fascinated Louis to watch things mix together like this. She used to watch her Grandmother all of the time when she was a kid. Mostly Louis liked to lick the bowl of icing, and her Granny was only too happy to let her, but it brings back memories that make Louis a little nostalgic, but feel content at the same time.

“Now, we carefully add the flour,” Anne says. She switches the KitchenAid off and passes Louis the bowl of flour. Louis eyes it distrustfully but carefully adds the flour to the mixture. It poofs up a little cloud in front of her face when she tips the bowl up too fast at the end, and she has to clamp her lips shut so she doesn’t sneeze everywhere.

She turns her head to the side and brings her arm up to her face, coughing into her elbow. 

“Alright, we’ll turn this on the lowest setting,” Anne continues, “and it will mix itself in.”

“My Granny would’ve loved this,” Louis says, gesturing to the pastel green KitchenAid. “She used to do everything by hand.”

“Mine too,” Anne says with a fond smile. “She was given a hand mixer – the old ones where they had the handle for you to turn it to get the sticks to move in the bowl. She _hated_ it at first. In the end, it helped a lot. Especially when the arthritis in her hands got worse. But she used to do everything with a mixing spoon. Or if she felt really adventurous, a whisk.”

Louis grins, imagining it. “I love that grandmas are pretty much all the same when it comes to making things by hand.” 

“They really are. That looks good,” Anne says as she peers over into the bowl. Louis switches the machine off and takes the bowl, setting it to the side. “Alright, time to scoop it into the cases.”

Louis sets about doing that, trying to make sure that there is an even amount in each case, all while trying not to slop any of the mixture onto the tray itself. She successfully manages to get all of the mixture into the cupcake cases, and only a little on her finger, which she wipes on her apron. She pops the tray into the oven and sets the timer.

“And now we just do that another couple of times and we’ll have enough cupcakes for tonight’s dessert,” Anne says. Louis bites back a sigh, and sees Anne grinning at her, shaking her head.

“Alright,” Louis says. She washes out the bowl and carefully dries it to start the process all over again.

By the time all of the cupcakes are finished cooking, and are off to the side cooling, Louis feels rather accomplished. She washes the bowl out one more time, ready to make the icing once the cakes are cold enough.

“Cuppa?” Anne asks and Louis nods. 

“Please.”

Anne makes them both a cup of tea, setting them down on the table. Louis sighs, relived, glad to be off her feet for a short while. She sips at her tea, letting it soothe her insides. 

“Are you all packed?” Anne asks as she sips her tea. 

Louis nods. “Yeah, I just finished packing this morning,” she replies. “I think Harry’s almost finished. She seems to keep finding new dresses that she wants to take with her.”

Anne’s lips quirk upwards in a smile. “That sounds like Harry alright.”

“I just hope she’ll be finished packing by the time I get home. I don’t fancy rushing tomorrow morning before we have to leave.”

“I’ll make sure to say something to her tonight,” Anne says, setting her cup back down on the table. 

“Thanks. Maybe she’ll listen to you.”

Anne chuckles. “She might.”

“Are you and Robin still driving over?” Louis asks, shifting in her seat, crossing one leg over the top of the other.

“We are,” Anne replies with a nod. “It’ll just be easier to bring things in the car rather than flying.”

“You’re not wrong,” Louis says. “Lottie is driving my car over with Fizzy, and I’m still not sure if Daisy and Phoebe are driving with them or flying with us. Thank goodness for private aeroplanes.”

“If they want to drive with Robin and myself, they’re more than welcome to,” Anne says. “I’ll talk to Jay about it tonight.”

“I think Niall and Zayn are driving over, too,” Louis adds. “Just in case the twins are arguing and need to be split up at all.”

“At least we’ll all arrive around the same time,” Anne replies. Their conversation changes from their travel arrangements to any last minute things they need before the wedding.

Louis is thankful that everything is running smoothly so far. All of their boxes have been checked so far, and it’s putting her mind at ease. Of course she knows that anything can go wrong at a moment’s notice, but they have back up plans for that. The only thing she’s really worried about is the wedding cake, but the chateau staff have assured her time and time again that everything is right on schedule. 

At a push, she and Anne could make these Funfetti cupcakes that they’ve just made. It wouldn’t be the same, but Louis knows they’ll be delicious, and a hit with their families.

“Alright, time to put the icing on,” Anne says once they’ve finished their cups of tea. She stands up and Louis does the same. “I’ll do the hundreds and thousands if you do the icing?”

Louis nods. “As long as you show me how.”

Anne gives her a warm smile. “Of course I will, love.”

Anne instructs her on how to start making the icing, and Louis adds the butter to the bowl to get that mixing first. Once it’s all nice and creamy looking, Louis adds the rest of the ingredients and turns the KitchenAid on again to continue mixing it together. 

Anne scoops the mixture into a piping bag and twists the end closed. She shows Louis how to do her signature swirls. She has to repeat it a few times before Louis feels confident enough to try it on her own. She figures the first one she can just eat if she stuffs it up too badly.

“That’s really good,” Anne compliments. 

Louis’ cheeks flush. “Thanks.”

Anne adds the hundreds and thousands to the icing while it’s still wet, and Louis keeps piping the icing onto the cupcakes, feeling rather proud of herself for not stuffing anything up so far. 

After the icing is on all of the cupcakes, Louis steps back and admires her work. She takes a couple of photos for preservation, and pockets her phone again.

“Excellent work,” Anne says, wrapping her arm around Louis’ shoulders. “I think we should have a taste of your creation.”

“Absolutely,” Louis agrees. Anne plucks two cupcakes off the cooling rack and passes one to Louis. She peels back the paper just enough to take a bite and she lets out a noise of appreciation. “This is good.” 

“They look good, too,” Anne says, showing the inside of her cupcake to Louis. She admires all of the colours of the melted hundreds and thousands that are on the inside. “The kids will love these.”

“Yeah, they will,” Louis says. She takes another bite of her cupcake, thankful that Anne took the time to bake them with her. She can’t wait for more moments like this when Anne is officially her mother in law.

~*~

The chateau is far bigger than Louis originally anticipated. She blinks, staring out of the car window up at the huge _castle_. That’s all she can think of to describe it – it’s a castle. Harry’s hand squeezes hers, and Louis can practically feel her vibrating with excitement. Harry’s sharp little intake of breath has Louis glancing over at her.

“It’s _beautiful_ ,” Harry gushes. “Even more beautiful than the photos.”

The corners of Louis’ mouth quirk upwards. “Yeah,” she agrees, “it is.”

Their car stops a few moments later, and a bustle of staff greet them, opening the car doors for Louis and Harry to get out. Louis lifts her sunglasses on top of her head and just _stares_ for a good long few moments. 

They’re getting married in there. 

_Tomorrow_.

Harry appears at Louis’ side a moment later, clinging to her arm and sighing happily. Louis looks over, taking in the wonder written all over Harry’s face. She can’t help but smile. 

“I’m so in love,” Harry gushes.

“Wait until we get inside,” Louis replies. 

They’re led inside, staff following with their luggage. 

They’ve decided to spend the first night apart. Louis is going to bunk with her mum and Dan, since their suite can sleep six people, while Harry is going to share with Niall and Zayn. Their wedding night, however, is going to be spent in _The Romance Suite_ , which Louis is very much looking forward to. 

Louis steps into _The Royal Suite_ , where her mum will be staying, and looks around. It’s _huge_. She expected that, since it’s the biggest suite in the chateau itself, but it’s somehow bigger than she was expecting. 

She rolls her suitcase out of the way, and turns around, taking everything in.

“Amazing, isn’t it?” Harry says. 

“It is. Can you believe were finally here?”

Harry closes the distance between them. “ _Finally_ ,” she echoes.

Louis sighs into the kiss, happiness filling her heart. She can’t believe they’re here. They’re finally here. Tomorrow they’re going to get married. She can’t wait.

It’s another few hours before the rest of their family arrives. Jay, Dan, Doris, and Ernest fly in just before everyone else gets there, so it’s just like a day at the Tomlinsons with how many people there are, and all of the noise they make. It makes Louis feel right at home.

The majority of their guests are due to arrive the next morning, but their families are the ones that they wanted there the first night with them. 

“Blimey, this place is huge,” Niall says when she and Zayn arrive around lunch time. She looks around in awe. Louis understands that feeling exactly.

“Lottie and Félicité are right behind us,” Zayn says, stepping in to give Louis a quick hug. She kisses Zayn’s cheek just to see her duck her head, a blush forming on her cheekbones.

“Thanks. Harry will show you to your suite,” Louis says. 

“Oi, Tommo, this is for you,” Niall says, passing her a rolling suitcase. 

“Thank you.” Louis accepts the suitcase from her and holds onto it while waiting for her sisters. 

Lottie, Félicité, Daisy and Phoebe appear next, each rolling their luggage behind them. 

“I love driving your car,” Lottie says as she spots Louis. “It’s so big and roomy.”

Louis grins. “It’s yours while I’m on my honeymoon.”

Lottie’s eyes widen dramatically. “Really?” she asks. Louis nods. “Awesome.”

“Mum and Dan are already here with Ernie and Doris,” Louis says. “They got in about an hour ago.”

“Anne just texted. She and Robin are a few minutes out,” Niall says as she reappears at Louis’ side. 

“I’ll show the girls to their rooms, then,” Louis replies. She pats Niall’s shoulder and leads her sisters to their suites. 

“This place is a castle, Lou,” Daisy says in awe.

“It’s so pretty,” Phoebe adds. “I want to get married here one day.”

“In twenty years, when you’re nice and old enough you can,” Louis quips. Her sisters poke their tongues out at her and she clicks her own in response. “Alright, Daisy, Phoebe, you’re in here. Lottie and Fizz are in the one next door. I hope you don’t mind sharing a bed.”

The twins enter their room first, squealing about how big the bed is and how pretty everything is. Louis grins at their enthusiasm. She leaves them to it and wheels the suitcase in her own hands into the room she’s sharing with her mum. She closes the door firmly behind her and heads back to the entrance to greet Anne and Robin when they arrive.

She doesn’t have to wait too long, her future in-laws arrive not even two minutes later, looking far more fresh faced than Louis was after her flight. 

“Hi, love,” Anne says, greeting both Louis and Harry. “This place is rather lovely, isn’t it?”

Harry nods. “Wait until you see your suite,” she says, taking Anne’s suitcase from her and rolling it behind her as they walk.

Robin follows along and Louis turns back to Zayn and Niall.

“Thanks for bringing that case with you,” Louis says. 

“What’s in it?” Niall asks.

Louis just shakes her head. “Nothing for you to know.”

“Told you it was kinky sex stuff,” Niall says, nudging Zayn with her elbow. Zayn shakes her head exasperatedly. 

“It’s not kinky sex stuff,” Louis replies, rolling her eyes in Niall’s direction.

Niall scoffs. “ _Sure_.”

“We’ll leave you to it, Lou,” Zayn says. “I want to check out our suite properly.”

Niall grins and happily follows her wife.

Later that afternoon, Louis and Harry make their way to the chateau’s spa for a relaxing few hours of pampering. The massage that Louis gets leaves her feeling like a whole new woman. Knots have been loosened in her body where she didn’t even know knots _were_. But it feels amazing, and relaxing with Harry afterwards just makes the afternoon even better.

They’re just wandering back through the chateau to the suites when Louis hears someone call out her name. She turns around and sees Eleanor walking in, rolling her suitcase behind her, wearing a giant floppy hat, and looking every bit as conspicuous as she probably thinks she _doesn’t_ look.

“El!” Louis exclaims, accepting the hug from her friend. They squeeze each other a little too hard, but Louis doesn’t care. She pulls back and rakes her gaze over Eleanor’s face. “Gosh, I’ve missed you.”

“Me too,” Eleanor replies. “I can’t believe the big day is finally here!” She pulls back from Louis completely to give Harry a hug. 

“How was your flight?” Harry asks politely.

“It was good,” Eleanor replies with a nod. “Kenny’s just taking a call. She’ll be in in just a sec.”

Louis smiles warmly. “How are things going?” she asks, waggling her eyebrows. Eleanor swats playfully at Louis arm, but doesn’t stop grinning.

“Things are _good_ ,” she says. “You know we moved in together a few months ago and it’s… absolute _bliss_.”

“There’s nothing like having someone to wake up to, is there?” Harry says. She glances sideways at Louis and steps a little closer. Louis slides her arm around Harry’s middle and kisses her temple.

“Now that I’ve got it, I couldn’t agree more,” Eleanor replies. 

There’s a noise behind Eleanor, and she turns around. Kendall walks in a moment later, wheeling her suitcase behind her. 

“God I love Paris,” Kendall says as she approaches them. “I never get to come here outside of work.”

They all exchange hugs and then Kendall lifts her arm and tucks her nose, trying to smell her armpit. 

“I smell disgusting,” she says. “Do you know where our suite is?” 

Louis nods. “Yeah, it’s just this way. You’re next to Sophia and Liam.”

“Oh, good,” Eleanor says as they start walking towards the suites. “I haven’t seen them in ages. How is Willow?”

“Perfect,” Harry says before Louis can even open her mouth. “She’s so big now, you won’t believe it.”

“I can’t wait to catch up with everyone,” Eleanor says. 

Louis comes to a stop outside of their suite and Eleanor gives her another hug. 

“We’ll catch up later,” Louis says. “Go have a shower, relax a bit, and then come down when you’re ready. The rehearsal dinner starts at six – you know, because of the kids.”

Eleanor nods. “We’ll see you then.” The door closes firmly behind them.

“C’mon,” Harry says softly, slipping her hand into Louis’. “Let’s go get dressed and spend some time with our families.”

Louis nods, following Harry along until they come to their separate suites. “See you soon.” She kisses Harry soundly on the lips for a few brief seconds before pulling away. She enters her mum’s suite and heads straight for her clothes. She has a lovely dress picked out just for tonight’s dinner, and she figures that it won’t hurt to get into it early. Dinner will be ready relatively soon, and she knows that she won’t want to come all the way back to the room to get changed again.

It’s a red dress, because of course it is. It’s one that Louis had got a while back, back when she wasn’t feeling her best, and it’s the first time that she’s felt confident enough to wear it.

She slips it on, feeling the cool material slide over her skin. It sits… _oddly_ on her. It isn’t until Louis turns this way and that in front of the mirror that she realises that it’s too big. She huffs a sigh and rummages through her things, trying to look for a safety pin.

She gives up after a few minutes and picks up her phone, calling Lottie, who is knocking on the door less than five minutes later.

“What’s wrong?” Lottie asks upon seeing Louis’ frazzled expression.

“My dress is too big.”

“Your wedding dress?” Lottie asks, her eyes wide.

“No, not that,” Louis replies. “Sorry, this one. The one I’m wearing. Can you help?”

She lifts her arms and lets Lottie poke and prod for a few minutes before Lottie disappears to her room, and returns a moment later with a small pouch. Inside are the safety pins that Louis desperately wants.

“There, all done,” Lottie says after a few minutes of carefully sliding the pins into place so they’re not visible. “No one will be able to tell that your dress is too big now.”

Relief floods Louis’ features. “Thank you,” she says.

“Are you alright?” Lottie asks, her tone laced with concern. “I know… I know that you lost a lot of weight while you were… well.”

“You can say it, it’s okay,” Louis replies. “While I was having a huge mental breakdown. Yeah. I stopped eating. But my body is still adjusting to eating properly again. I just didn’t think that I was still not my old shape.”

Lottie shrugs a shoulder. “You’re getting older, too–”

“Watch it,” Louis warns without any heat to her voice.

“What I mean is that when people get older, their bodies adjust in shape and size. Losing that weight, and putting weight back on will just be adding to the adjustments your body is going through,” Lottie finishes.

Louis cocks her head to the side, looking at her sister. “When did you get so wise?”

Lottie gives her a lopsided smile. “When you grow up with so many sisters, you tend to notice these things. Plus, weight standards are ridiculous, and as long as you’re healthy, then that’s what counts.”

“And I am. Healthy, that is.”

“I know you are. I’ve seen the meal planning that Harry does. She’s one more plan away from giving you kale, you know.”

Louis crinkles her nose. “Not if I have anything to say about it.”

Lottie laughs. “Well, you _are_ marrying her, kale weirdness and all.”

Louis can’t help but smile. “Yeah, I am.”

“Alright, are you ready?” Lottie asks, giving Louis a once over.

Louis nods. She takes a breath, straightens her spine and heads for the door. 

“Er, you might want to put on shoes,” Lottie says.

“Oops.” Louis quickly puts on a pair of heels and heads for the door again, Lottie following close behind her.

They reach the dining hall, where everyone else has gathered. She smiles as she looks over at her entire family. Everyone she loves the most is in this room right now. 

Lottie sits down next to Félicité, leaving Louis to walk around to sit next to Harry. She runs her hand across the backs of Harry’s shoulders before sitting down next to her.

“You look nice,” Harry says, shifting to face Louis. “I love that colour on you.”

Louis tilts her head and kisses Harry softly on the lips. “Thank you, love.”

Their dinner is served a few minutes later, and Louis’ mouth waters at the delicious scents wafting up to her. She tucks in, enjoying the buzz of conversation around her. She jolts, feeling a hand on her thigh. Harry’s looking the other way, engaging in a conversation with Gemma and Anissa, but her hand is pushing the fabric of Louis’ dress up her thigh. Her hand is warm on Louis’ skin. Her fingers press _just so_ on the inside of Louis’ thigh and it takes all of her strength to not reach under the table and guide Harry’s hand higher.

As surreptitiously as possible, she reaches under the table and pushes Harry’s hand down, away from where she wants it the most. Harry tangles their fingers together, squeezing softly. She glances over her shoulder at Louis, giving her a secretive little smile. She knows _exactly_ what she’s doing, the minx.

Louis picks up her drink and takes a long sip, trying to calm down a little bit. It wouldn’t do her any good to get worked up at dinner with a roomful of their family. She refills her glass and takes another sip. On her other side, her mum gives her a questioning glance.

“Are you alright, poppet?” 

Louis nods. “Yeah,” she replies. “Just needed a drink.”

Jay gives her a fond smile, and they engage in a conversation that takes Louis’ mind completely off the fact Harry’s hand was on her thigh not even five minutes ago.

After everyone has finished dinner, their plates are cleared and everyone has a break, getting up to stretch and mingle a little more. Louis gravitates towards Eleanor and Kendall, who are chatting to Gemma, Anissa, Lottie, and Félicité. She squeezes between her sisters, content to just listen to their conversation.

“So what are you guys doing tomorrow morning?” Kendall asks.

“We’re going horseback riding,” Félicité replies. 

“Oh cool, can I come?” Kendall asks. “I love riding. I don’t get to do it as often anymore.”

“Yeah, of course you can,” Lottie says. “We’re going shortly after breakfast.”

“I’ll be ready.”

“What are you doing in the morning then, Lou?” Gemma asks. “I know Harry and Mum are going out and spending some time together, what about you?”

“I’m looking after Willow so Liam and Sophia can go out together in the morning,” she replies. “It’s not going to take long to do my hair and make-up, so that’ll get started after lunch, and the ceremony isn’t until five, so I’ve got plenty of time.”

“That’s nice of you,” Anissa says. “To look after Willow on your wedding day.”

Louis shrugs, thinking nothing of it. “She’s my family. And it’s purely selfish reasons, I get to spend as much time with her as possible before we go on our honeymoon. Skype just isn’t going to cut it.”

“Aww,” Lottie coos. “But you’re still joining us for lunch, right?”

Louis nods. “Yeah, of course I am. I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

“Good,” Félicité adds. “Because we want to spend time with you, too.” Louis gives Félicité a crooked grin and wraps an arm around her waist, hugging her. 

Their conversation tapers off as it’s announced that dessert will be starting soon, and everyone moves back to their seats. Louis quickly ducks out of the room to fetch the suitcase that Niall had brought in earlier. It’s filled with gifts for each of the family members sitting in that room, and she wants to hand them out after the toasts are done.

She wheels it into a corner of the room, trying to be as inconspicuous as possible. She isn’t sure she succeeds, not when she sees Niall giving her a pointed _look_ , which she purposefully ignores in favour of sitting back down at the table where her dessert waits.

Being surrounded by her friends and family leaves Louis feeling so full of love. She glances around, content just to watch everyone. These are the people that she would chose to spend the most important day of her life with over and over again. They’re everything to her. Have stuck with her through thick and thin, and still love her despite anything negative that has happened, or been thrown her way.

She can easily say that she loves every single person in this room with her whole heart.

It’s that thought that has Louis standing. 

Mostly everyone has finished eating their desserts, the kids being the ones who finished first, of course. She taps her spoon to her champagne glass and successfully gets everyone’s attentions.

“I just wanted to thank you all for coming,” she begins. “Not only tonight, but here to Paris. To help Harry and I celebrate our love.”

Harry shifts next to her, looking up at Louis with such love in her eyes.

“This isn’t going to be long because it’s getting late and I’m sure everyone is tired from travelling. And tomorrow is going to be a big day, too,” she continues, glancing around the crowd of friends and family. “It means so very much to me that you’re all here. Each and every single one of you mean so much to Harry and I… and… well,” she takes a shaky breath, feeling very emotional all of a sudden. “And I can’t thank you enough for being here. Harry and I are so grateful to have all of you here to watch us make the first step in starting the rest of our life together.”

Louis raises her glass and everyone does the same. “Thank you. I love you all so much.”

“Here, here,” Niall says cheerily. Everyone echoes her sentiment and they all have sips from their drinks.

Louis sits back down and Harry turns to her. She leans in and kisses Louis lovingly on the lips. Her lips are soft and insistent against Louis’ own. She breaks the kiss before it gets too heated and rests her forehead against Harry’s own.

“I love you so much,” Louis whispers.

“I love you so much, too.”

She kisses Harry one last time before getting up out of her seat. She grabs the suitcase and wheels it over. Everyone’s attention falls back to her without even needing to clink her glass again.

“Before I forget,” she starts, squatting down to open the case. “Harry and I wanted to give everyone a token of our appreciation.” She squats down and reaches inside. She passes Harry the first wrapped gift for her to distribute.

Soon the room is filled with the sounds of everyone unwrapping their presents. Harry gives Louis a warm smile and reaches over to squeeze her hand briefly.

“Oh, _Lou_ ,” Jay breathes next to her. “This is too much.”

“Nonsense,” Louis says, turning to face her mum completely. Inside her box is the jewellery that she and Harry had selected from _Monica Vinader_. “You deserve it.”

“It’s beautiful,” Jay says, running her finger lightly over the necklace’s pendant. 

“I know you’ve probably got jewellery chosen for tomorrow, but I thought maybe you’d like to wear these?” Louis says, nodding to the box in Jay’s hands. 

“Of course I will, poppet,” Jay says emphatically. “These are stunning. I don’t know what to say.”

“You don’t need to say anything, Mum,” Louis says. She gets an armful of her mum, and she buries her face in her mum’s neck, holding her tightly. She closes her eyes and just breathes her in. “I love you so much,” she says, pulling back a little. “I wouldn’t even be _here_ if it wasn’t for you. Not only do I owe you my life, but I owe you for encouraging me to go after love.”

“ _Lou_ ,” Jay says wetly. Louis cups her face, swiping at the tears that fall over her cheeks. 

“I love you, Mum.”

Jay kisses her cheek and they hug again. Louis doesn’t ever want to let go. She has to eventually, though. Everyone thanks her and Harry for their gifts, and they’re soon clearing the room to go back to their suites. Jay takes the suitcase to the suite so Louis and Harry can take a walk around the gardens. 

“Tonight was wonderful,” Harry says as they wander hand in hand under the moonlit sky. 

Louis hums her agreement. “Did your mum like her gift?”

Harry nods. “She loves it. I saw Jay’s reaction. I’m glad she liked hers, too.”

“We have good taste,” Louis comments. 

They fall silent, content just to walk and admire this beautiful place they were so fortunate to have booked to get married at. The entire building looks _magical_. 

Harry twirls, the skirt of her dress moving upwards with the motion. She laughs and twirls again, spinning right into Louis’ arms. She holds Harry close, dipping her head to kiss her. 

“C’mon, princess,” Louis whispers against Harry’s lips. “We should get some rest. For tomorrow we finally wed.”

Harry grins broadly. She takes Louis’ hand and leads her back inside the chateau. When they reach Niall and Zayn’s room, Harry leans against the doorway, giving Louis the sultriest look she’s ever seen. She bites her lip and crooks her finger in a ‘come hither’ motion that Louis is too weak to ignore. She crowds Harry against the wall, slotting their lips together. Harry sighs, all but sagging against Louis. Her arms loop over Louis’ shoulders, holding her close.

Their tongues slide against each other in a motion that never fails to have Louis’ toes curling in her shoes. She grips onto Harry’s waist a little tighter, fingers pressing in _just so_. Harry lets out a breathy little sigh and she nips Louis’ bottom lip, pulling back just enough to grin at her action.

Their kiss is just getting heated when the door swings open next to them and Niall makes a point of clearing her throat rather loudly. 

“Alright, alright, stop snogging,” she says. 

Louis reluctantly breaks the kiss, not taking her gaze off Harry’s flushed cheeks and glassy eyes. Harry’s tongue darts over her bottom lip before she bites it, her eyes closing at the action. 

“You can shag tomorrow,” Niall says deliberately. She pats Louis on the shoulder and Louis’ gaze tears away from Harry. 

“Good night, Harry,” Louis says. 

“Good night, Louis.”

They share one last lingering look before Niall rolls her eyes at them and all but drags Harry into the room, closing the door forcefully behind her. Louis can’t help but smile, her hand automatically going up to her mouth, her thumb rubbing over her bottom lip. 

The next time she kisses Harry is going to be as wives.

~*~

With everyone else doing other activities, Louis and Willow have the entire chateau to themselves. Granted, there are _many_ people bustling about, getting everything ready for the wedding. Louis should feel guilty about not helping out, but one look at Willow’s smile has her melting and paying attention to only her.

They’re in the gardens at the moment, Willow touching everything that she can. She looks in awe at everything, and it just makes Louis’ heart sing in her chest.

“I can’t wait to have one of you,” she mutters to herself as Willow gently caresses the petal of a flower. 

“Ee!” Willow exclaims. 

“Flower,” Louis says carefully, reaching out to touch the petal herself. She repeats the word ‘flower’ as she touches the petals and watches Willow’s mouth try to form the word. She doesn’t quite get it, but her attempt has Louis kissing the side of her head. 

“More flowers over here,” Louis says, taking Willow’s hand and leading her to the other flowers. She carefully plucks one and passes it to Willow, who immediately shoves it into her face, probably trying to taste and smell it all at once. “Ooh, yucky,” she says. “Can’t eat that one.”

Willow promptly drops the flower on the ground. 

“Let’s go do something else,” Louis says. She scoops Willow into her arms and leads her over to the activity box that Liam and Sophia had brought with them. She locates some bubbles and picks the bottle up. 

When she blows the first bubble, Willow squeals happily, clapping her little hands together and running to chase the bubbles. Louis immediately follows, chasing the bubbles with her. Once the first lot of bubbles have gone, Louis blows some more, aiming down low so that Willow can touch them. 

Her squeals of laughter can be heard all over the gardens. Louis sits down on the grass and helps Willow to blow bubbles too. The pure concentration on her face has Louis reaching for her phone. She snaps a few photos of Willow to show Liam and Sophia later, and manages to get a selfie in with Willow just as she blows a big bubble. 

“Yay!” Louis cheers, clapping her hands together. “That was a good bubble!”

Willow grins up at her. She passes Louis the stick back and Louis takes it to blow some more bubbles of her own. Willow happily chases them around the garden. They stop blowing bubbles after a while, deciding to run around instead. Willow runs around, laughing the entire time as Louis chases her. 

Eventually, Willow just sits down on the grass and starts plucking handfuls of it. Louis sits down, thankful that they’ve stopped running around now. Her phone pings and she checks the screen. 

“Lunch time,” she says. Willow looks up and immediately tries to shove a fistful of grass into her mouth. “Yucky. We don’t eat grass, Willow.”

Willow drops the grass and gets up, waddling over to Louis. She throws herself into Louis’ lap and Louis kisses the top of her head before getting up.

“C’mon, let’s go get some yummy lunch.” Louis puts the bubbles back into the box and grabs the handle, wheeling it back inside. 

After Louis has given Willow her lunch, she locates the good night book that Liam and Sophia read to her. They sit together in the comfortable arm chair and Willow’s hands immediately try to open the book. 

Louis reads to her, letting Willow turn the pages with ease. She can feel Willow’s body curling against her own the more tired she gets, and the moment the story is finished, she’s fast asleep in Louis’ arms. She carefully carries Willow to the cot and lays her down, tucking her in properly. She strokes down the side of Willow’s cheek and watches her for a few moments. She grabs the baby monitor and closes the door over, making sure that it’s dark enough in the room for Willow.

Louis sits back in the arm chair, scrolling through her phone. It’s only just after 11 AM, and she’s not due to meet her family for lunch until noon. She scrolls through the photos she took earlier on, sending some to Sophia and Liam, and then a couple to Harry. She gets back a series of heart-eyed emojis from Harry that make her smile.

A little while later, Liam and Sophia return, looking happily flushed from their outing. Sophia sets down some shopping bags at the foot of the bed as Louis stands. They talk about Willow’s morning and Louis shows them the rest of her photos before she realises the time. She kisses both of their cheeks and leaves, getting into the taxi she had booked earlier on.

The restaurant that her mum chose is lovely, Louis thinks as she steps inside. She meets her family, who are already all seated. She gives Doris and Ernest loud cheek kisses and smiles when they giggle at her. She sits down next to Lottie and pours herself a drink of water.

The conversation flows freely, her sisters all eager to tell Louis about their horse riding experiences. She avidly listens to them, the twins especially, as they’re full of anecdotes about their morning. She asks questions in all of the right places, including about the horses the girls each rode. 

Lottie gives Louis an odd look once they’ve finished eating. Louis cocks her head to the side and gives her a curious look in return.

“You’re a really good listener,” Lottie says simply. 

“They’re my sisters,” Louis replies. “I want to know everything about them.”

“They’re going to miss you,” she says, picking up her drink to take a sip. 

“I’m going to miss _all_ of you,” Louis replies. She has a sip of her own drink and sets the glass back down. “It’s going to be odd not being able to just pop over to Doncaster to see you all.”

“Yeah, I’ll miss that, too.”

“I promise to Skype every week,” Louis says. “And I’ll _definitely_ be keeping up on your YouTube videos. Harry and I love watching them together.”

“Thanks,” Lottie says. “I still can’t believe I’ve been making videos for a year now. That’s crazy.”

“It is, but in a good way,” Louis replies. “I’m really proud of you, Lottie.”

Lottie’s cheeks flush at the compliment. “Thank you.”

“We should go if I’m going to get ready for this wedding in time,” Louis says. She gets up and goes to pay for the bill, only to find Dan handing over his credit card to pay for it instead.

“You’re paying for your own wedding,” Dan says with an easy shrug. “This is the least I could do.”

“Thanks, Dan,” Louis says. She gives him a brief hug before following everyone outside. She gets into the car with Lottie and her sisters, while her mum, Dan, and her youngest siblings take the other car.

Phoebe begs Lottie to put some music on and they all sing along loudly to the song that blares from the stereo. Louis doesn’t stop smiling the whole ride.

~*~

“These were Grandma Darling’s,” Jay says as she sets a familiar beautiful, old jewellery box in front of Louis. Louis looks up at her mum with a wide-eyed expression. “She wanted you to have these on your wedding day.”

“ _Mum_ ,” Louis breathes, fingers running over the outside of the box. “I _can’t_.”

“Of course you can,” Jay says. She reaches in front of Louis and pops the box open. “Granny wanted _you_ to have these.”

If Louis thought that the outside of the box was stunning, it’s even more stunning on the inside. The woodwork is exquisite, hand-made by Louis’ grandfather for his wife on one of their anniversaries, if her memory is correct. As a little girl, Louis would climb up onto her Grandma’s lap when she sat at her vanity to get ready. To ‘put her face on’ as she used to tell Louis. 

This box sat in the very centre of the vanity, and each time Louis sat with her Grandma, she would open it and tell Louis to pick out something. Each time, Louis’ little hands would automatically go to the gorgeous sterling silver hair slide. It was dotted with blue gemstones that haven’t even faded with age. And each time Louis would pluck it out of the box, she would pass it to her Grandma, only for her grandma to slide it into Louis’ hair, holding it out of her face. 

Now, her hands reach for that same hair slide and they shake a little.

“I wish Granny was here,” Louis says softly, her gaze flicking up to meet her mum’s. Jay’s eyes shine with unshed tears.

“I do too, poppet.” She takes the slide from Louis and slips it into her hair where it’s pinned back, the rest of her hair down over her shoulders. “There. Perfect.”

Louis catches her mum’s gaze in the reflection of the mirror and Jay gives her a soft smile. She reaches up and covers her mum’s hand where it lays on her shoulder. 

“I’ve dreamt about this day for a long time now,” Jay begins, “and it’s far more perfect and beautiful than anything I could’ve dreamt up.”

Tears prick the backs of Louis’ eyes. She turns her face and kisses her mum’s hand, eyes closing shut.

A knock on the door startles them, and Jay answers it. One of the photographers, Angela, walks in and asks if Louis is ready to have her ‘getting ready’ photos done and she says she almost is. She asks for five more minutes and Angela nods, exiting the room.

“Can you help me into my dress?” Louis asks. She shrugs off her robe, standing there in just her knickers and stick-on bra. 

Jay passes Louis her dress, and Louis steps into the beautiful white dress. She secures the dress on her body properly, zipping up the small, invisible zipper. Her dress is white. She has the distinct feeling that Harry isn’t going to be wearing white at all, but pink, which Louis absolutely loves for her future wife. 

Her own dress is completely backless, and has a train longer than Louis ever thought that she’d want in a dress. Especially considering she never wanted a train on her dress at all. But she saw this dress and fell in love with it. The front dips low, and has the most beautifully intricate design over the bodice, and also gives the look like it’s curling up over her shoulders. 

She turns to look at her reflection in the mirror and smiles. Jay is standing beside her, covering her mouth with her hand. 

“Mum?”

Jay fans herself with her hand. “You just… _Oh, Lou_.”

Louis closes the gap between them and hugs her mum tightly. She’s careful not to smudge either of their make-up, or ruin their hair. She loosens her hold on her mum just as there’s a knock on the door. She yells out for whoever it is to come in, and Angela pops her head around the door.

“May I come in?” she asks.

Louis nods. She steps back from her mum’s embrace and they get some ‘getting ready’ photos taken with the happy snap of Angela’s camera. She takes a fair few photos, which Louis is grateful for, including a few of Jay and Louis. 

“I don’t know if you have a necklace,” Jay begins, turning back to the still open jewellery box. “But I thought you might like to wear this one, too. For your something old, since the something blue is in your hair.”

She holds out a delicate looking gold necklace. It has a tiny little tear drop pendant that sits right below the dip of Louis’ throat. It’s something that she had rarely seen her Grandma wearing, but whenever she did, she always looked beautiful.

Louis holds her hair out of the way while Jay secures the necklace around her neck. She runs her fingers along the chain and fingers the pendant, stroking over it before dropping her hands to her sides. 

“I love it,” Louis says. 

“Alright, we’d better get some photos of you and your sisters while they’ve still got energy,” Jay says. Louis grins and follows her and Angela from the room.

They meet with the rest of Louis’ family. Lottie is holding Ernest in her arms, with Dan has Doris, and they all turn in unison as Louis walks towards them with Jay.

“Lou!” Lottie breathes. “Wow, you look incredible!”

“Thank you,” Louis replies with a soft smile. “C’mon, let’s get these photos done so I can go and get married already.”

It doesn’t take too long, and thankfully Doris and Ernest aren’t fussy. They even laugh when Louis pulls funny faces at them. After all of the photos have been taken, everyone but Louis and Jay head off to get seated for the ceremony. 

“So – are you ready?” Jay asks.

Louis grins. “The most ready for anything I’ve ever been in my life.”

Jay reaches over and squeezes Louis’ hand. “Thought so.”

They follow the path the others took, and all too soon, Louis is at the end of the aisle, ready to walk towards the celebrant that is going to perform Louis and Harry’s wedding. She has never felt so excited in her entire life.

Music swells as Louis walks down the aisle with her mum. She clutches her bouquet in one hand, her mum’s hand in the other. She looks over and sees tears shining in her mum’s eyes. When they reach the end, Jay kisses Louis’ cheek lightly. 

“I love you so much, boo bear,” she says softly. “You deserve the world.”

“Thanks, Mum,” Louis replies. “My world is about to walk down the aisle any moment now.”

Jay gives her a fond look and Louis stands in her designated spot, ready for Harry to walk down the aisle next. She glances over at Liam, Lottie and Félicité, taking in how utterly beautiful they all look in their dresses. On the other side, Gemma, Niall and Zayn wait, looking as beautiful as ever. Gemma winks at her and Louis grins. 

The music swells again and Louis reflexively looks down the aisle.

The entire world fades away. All Louis sees is Harry – beautiful Harry walking towards Louis looking every single part of the princess she really is. Louis knows that her mouth drops open – she can’t help it. 

Harry’s wedding dress is absolutely stunning. It’s a gorgeous blush pink colour that is so very, _very_ Harry that it makes Louis’ heart ache. Her hair is down, curls sitting perfectly over her shoulders and down her back. A beautiful tiara sits on top of her head, dotted with pink gems that go perfectly with the colour of Harry’s dress. 

Louis’ heart thuds in her chest the closer Harry gets. In just a short while, they’re going to be _married_. 

Robin looks so incredibly handsome next to Harry, Louis thinks. His tie is a perfect colour match of Harry’s dress, and Louis knows that Harry did that specifically. She can feel her heart thudding in her chest as Harry and Robin stop. Robin kisses her cheek softly and she gives him a beaming smile before stepping up next to Louis.

“You look gorgeous–”

“You look beautiful–” they say in unison.

Louis ducks her head, grinning. She can’t keep her eyes off Harry as their celebrant, a lovely woman by the name of Rosa, begins the ceremony. 

“Louis, would you like to say your vows?” Rosa asks.

Louis nods. She holds Harry’s hands in her own, thumb stroking gently over Harry’s skin. “Harry,” she begins, “It’s not enough that I just promise to love you with all of my heart, to be there for you, and with you, through everything, because you deserve more than that. And I want you to have _everything_ that you deserve. And I will happily spend my entire life giving it to you. 

“I promise to be the rope to your anchor, to be the one to pull you in when things get rough, to be that one holding you whenever you need it. I promise to always be honest with you, even when it’s tough, _especially_ when it’s tough. I promise to be more vulnerable, and not be scared of being weak. Because I don’t care about being weak, because you? _You_ make me strong.”

Tears shine in Harry’s eyes and she sucks her lips between her teeth. She squeezes Louis’ hands as she gathers herself. 

“Lou – Louis,” Harry begins, her voice a little shaky. “Wow, I knew I was going to be emotional but this is tougher than it looks.”

Their crowd chuckles, and Harry ducks her head and grins. She shakes her head and takes a breath, refocusing her big green eyes on Louis. 

“You are my _world_ ,” she says. “I had that written on the inside of your engagement ring because it’s the truth. I will happily spend every day for the rest of my life telling you that. Because you and I? We’re going to have such a _long life_ together. I promise to be patient and kind and everything that comes with being married.

“But most of all? I promise to be the one you can always turn to, no matter what happens. I know that in my heart of hearts the best years are waiting for us to enjoy them together. And when we have children, they’re going to know what it’s like to be loved so wholly and completely just like you have loved me.

“Most people go on about how much they love their spouse, but no one will ever love anyone as much as I love you. Because I _do_ , and I can’t wait to spend the rest of our lives showing you _just_ how much. And this next part is cheesy, but just bear with me, because I feel like it sums up everything that I can’t really express properly.

“The summertime and the butterflies all belong to your creation. I love you. It’s all I do – I love you. And I can’t wait to be your wife forever.”

Big, fat tears rolls down Louis’ cheeks and she takes a shaky breath. “Fuck,” she mutters. Liam quickly passes her a tissue and she mumbles her thanks, dabbing at her eyes. 

Their celebrant gives them a moment and then starts speaking. They exchange rings, Louis sliding a beautiful rose gold ring onto Harry’s long finger. She can’t help but bring Harry’s hand to her lips, kissing right over the ring she just put on Harry’s hand. Harry lets out a breathy giggle and quickly puts Louis’ ring on her slightly shaking hand. 

She stares at Harry, seeing the love she feels for her reflected in her eyes. Her entire future is in those eyes. 

Rosa starts speaking again, and Louis tunes back in just in time to hear her say “I now pronounce you wife and wife, you may kiss the bride.”

Louis takes in Harry’s smile before they both step closer and kiss. 

The world completely falls away once more. 

Harry’s lips are soft and warm under Louis’, kissing her with such tenderness that it makes her heart ache just a little. She sighs, kissing back for a few moments before they inevitably have to part. Their friends and family are all standing, applauding them, and Louis looks over at them, unable to stop from smiling.

This is it. She’s officially married. 

_Finally_.

~*~

It’s hard not to just keep kissing Harry, Louis thinks, as they get some lovely photos of them after the ceremony. She just wants to keep kissing Harry for the next five years, everything else be damned. Thankfully, Harry seems to be feeling the same. And there’s a few good photos of them sharing sweet kisses, too, Louis guesses.

Eventually she parts from her wife. _Wife_. It makes her positively _giddy_ to think that. They take as many photos are they’re physically able to before they have to head into the chateau again for their reception.

“Ready, Mrs Tomlinson?” Louis asks, bringing Harry’s hand to her lips to kiss the back of it.

“Ready, Mrs Tomlinson,” Harry returns with a grin.

They can hear someone on the other side of the closed doors announcing them, and the doors swing open. Everyone applauds as they walk through. Louis literally can’t stop smiling. 

They decided to do their first dance straight away so that they could change out of their wedding dresses and into something a bit more functional for the rest of the night. The music starts and Louis catches sight of the stage. It takes everything in her power not to stare as one of Harry’s all-time favourite music artists walks onto the stage. This was her big surprise for their wedding. She knew that Harry knew she was planning something, she just wasn’t going to let her know _what_.

“ _When your legs don't work like they used to before, and I can't sweep you off of your feet_.”

Harry’s mouth drops open and she completely stills in Louis’ arms. “Oh my _god_ ,” she breathes, her gaze flicking between Louis’ and Ed Sheeran’s where he stands on the stage singing _Thinking Out Loud_. He winks at them and Harry gasps. 

“Dance, love,” Louis whispers, twirling Harry in her arms, just like they practiced. 

Harry’s expression is still one of complete wonderment as they dance, moving around the space like they’re the only people in the world, and this song is the only one that matters. 

“Let’s give it up for the newlyweds – Harry and Louis Tomlinson!” Ed exclaims as the song ends. The room bursts into applause. 

Harry and Louis bow to their audience and Harry presses in close, giggling into Louis’ neck. They share a sweet kiss before wandering off the dance floor. 

“You got _Ed Sheeran_ to perform at our wedding?” Harry exclaims the moment she’s able to. “Who _are_ you Louis Tomlinson?”

Louis grins at the throwback comment of when she gave Harry a bakery for her birthday. “I’m a woman in love,” she replies. “And my wife _loves_ Ed Sheeran. Plus he was free. So,” she shrugs, like it was nothing. 

It took a lot of organising, but it was _absolutely_ worth it, Louis thinks. 

“I want to shag you so badly right now,” Harry mutters, pressing her lips to Louis’ once more. “ _So badly_.”

“In a bit, love,” Louis replies, barely able to keep her lips from Harry’s. “We’ve got a lovely dinner planned. We may as well enjoy our evening.”

Harry lets out the smallest of growls, completely playful, but it makes Louis’ skin tingle at the promise. They head backstage where Ed is waiting to meet Harry. She goes completely still when they are face to face and Louis shoots her a worried look.

“She’s usually chattier than this,” Louis says to Ed. “But thank you again. This was absolutely _perfect_.”

“You’re welcome,” Ed replies, shaking Louis’ outstretched hand. “And congratulations on your wedding.”

“Thank you,” Louis replies, because Harry is still being strangely quiet. 

“Can I hug you?” Harry asks meekly.

“’Course,” Ed replies. He wraps his arms around Harry in a massive hug. 

“I can’t believe you did this,” Harry says when they part. She looks at Louis, reaching over to squeeze her hand. “Thank you for the best start to our evening.”

Ed nods. “It was my pleasure,” he replies. “That was a lovely wedding ceremony, too. You both looked very happy up there.”

Harry squeaks. “You were at our wedding?”

Both Louis and Ed nod. “He’s staying for the reception, too,” Louis says. “But I wanted you to meet him first before everyone else does.”

“I’m at a loss for words,” Harry says. 

The door opens behind them and Jay walks in holding two garment bags. “There you are,” she says. “I’ve got your dresses here, girls.”

“That’s my cue to go,” Ed says. “Congratulations again.”

Harry gapes after him as Louis takes the garment bags from her mum. She loves how gobsmacked Harry is. She hopes that Harry never loses that quality. 

“He’s a bit lovely, isn’t he?” Jay says. 

Louis unzips her dress and carefully passes it to her mum. “Yeah, he is. I think Harry’s gone into shock.”

Jay’s gaze darts to Harry. “Harry, are you alright, poppet?”

Harry nods dumbly. “Ed Sheeran just performed at my wedding. _Holy shit_.”

Louis snorts with laughter and shakes her head. She gets into her dress. This one is _significantly_ shorter, and is still white, keeping with the wedding theme. It stops mid-thigh, and Louis knows that she’ll definitely be able to dance later in this, unlike with her wedding dress, which she was worried about tripping over the train. 

Harry finally snaps out of her stupor and takes off her wedding dress. Louis watches as she caresses it fondly before pulling on her little white dress that Louis knows is from Vera Wang. It has some frills which are _very_ Harry, Louis thinks.

“Don’t you two look absolutely lovely?” Jay says. She holds up her phone to get a quick photo and Louis wraps her arms around Harry’s middle and smiles at the camera. 

“I love your tiara, by the way,” Louis says to Harry when Jay carefully takes the garment bags their wedding dresses are in before leaving them alone. “Makes you look every part of the princess you really are.”

Harry’s cheeks flush and she turns to face Louis. The kiss is far more heated than each one they’ve shared since the ceremony finished. It would be only too easy to get hot and heavy back here and indulge in some mutual orgasms. But they can’t, and Louis reluctantly ends the kiss. 

“Soon,” she whispers, pressing her forehead against Harry’s own. “Let’s go start our reception properly.”

Music starts up again and this time, Louis and Harry step onto the dance floor, meeting their mums who are waiting. Louis smiles as she moves to hold her mum for their mother/daughter dance. 

“Those shoes make you _much_ taller than me,” Jay points out as Louis twirls her around.

Louis grins. “When you’ve got a giraffe for a wife, any extra height is necessary.”

Jay chuckles and twirls Louis in turn. The song ends far too soon, and Louis takes Harry’s hand, leading her off the dance floor. Jay takes the microphone offered to her by the DJ and turns to face the entire room.

“Hello, everyone,” she begins. “And welcome to my daughter and her wife’s wedding reception.” She pauses while everyone applauses. Louis turns to look at their friends and family, taking everything in. 

“The first course will be brought out in just a moment,” Jay continues. “We hope you enjoy yourselves, and the celebration of Louis and Harry’s love. To the happy couple!” Cheers go around the room, making Louis smile. She catches her mum’s gaze and Jay winks at her. 

Louis places her hand on Harry’s thigh, squeezing softly. She turns to face her and takes in how utterly happy Harry looks. She leans in, kissing her softly for a few brief seconds, just because she can.

Once the first course has been served, Louis tucks in, completely ravenous. She didn’t quite realise how long it had been since lunch time. She finds herself leaning into Harry’s warmth more and more. For her part, Harry doesn’t seem to mind. She keeps pressing kisses to Louis’ bare shoulder, an action that has Louis’ stomach swooping pleasantly. 

When they’ve finished eating, Liam stands up, microphone in hand. She gives them a smile and commands everyone’s attention with the start of her speech.

“I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that I’m a little bit in love with Louis. Honestly, I think every single person in this room can relate to that,” she begins, everyone chuckles and Louis ducks her head, slightly embarrassed. Harry pats Louis’ thigh with a huge grin, and Louis gives her complete attention back to Liam.

“The thing is, every single person that comes into Louis’ life is better for it,” Liam continues. “I know that my life is better for it. Most of you know that we met at uni, and Louis was this loud thing. Smarter than most of the staff there, too, of course. But it’s her loudness that most people noticed. And since we lived in the same student housing, I got to experience that first hand a _lot_.” There’s chuckles from those that know Louis as well as Liam does – she knows that she’s loud, but she doesn’t care. 

“But even though she’s the loudest person I’ve ever met – and I have a fifteen month old daughter – she also has the biggest heart. Which is why so many people are head over heels in love with her and she has no idea about it. Her generosity, and her compassion make her the best person that I’ve ever had the pleasure of knowing.

“And I know that since meeting Harry, Louis’ heart has grown bigger than I ever thought it could. Louis, you have absolutely met your match with Harry, and I wish you both all of the happiness in the world because you deserve it so much.” 

Heat blooms across Louis’ cheeks as applause rings out in the room. She looks up at Liam and kisses her cheek softly when Liam leans over. They hug for a few brief seconds before letting go. 

“I love you,” Louis whispers to Liam, cupping her face gently with one hand. “But I’m a married woman now, you’ve had your chance.”

Liam’s eyes crinkle in the corners as she smiles. She takes Louis’ hand off her face and kisses her palm. “I love you too, Lou. You’re the best mate anyone could ask for.”

Warmth spreads across Louis’ cheeks as she hugs Liam once more before they sit back down. 

The microphone gets passed to Gemma next and Louis turns in her seat to give Gemma her attention.

“Hi, everyone, I’m Gemma, Harry’s big sister,” she begins. “Ever since we were little kids, Harry was always planning her wedding. She knew when she was that young that she was going to marry a woman one day, and she’s picked a mighty fine one, if you ask me. 

“Harry used to have _huge_ folders that held every single detail of what she wanted to be. Looking around this castle, I think she’s got almost all of it exactly the same,” Gemma continues. “As Harry’s big sister, I’m obligated to share at least _one_ embarrassing story, and it isn’t going to be the fact that my first ever impression of Louis was catching her having sex with my sister.”

Louis presses her head into Harry’s shoulder, embarrassed. 

“No, it’s going to be the moment that I realised my baby sister was in love,” Gemma says, grinning down at them both. “Harry’s a fussy one. She’s like Cher from _Clueless_ , picky about _everything_. So when she started messaging me all hours of the night about this Louis person, I knew something was different here. She texted me all of the time about how she wanted to marry Louis and have hundreds of her babies.”

Louis makes an ‘aww’ sound low enough that only Harry can hear. Harry squeezes Louis’ thigh in response. 

“I’m honestly surprised she hasn’t had five kids yet,” Gemma says, “she’s got a plan, this one. But when she messaged me accidentally, thinking that I was Louis – how she made _that_ mistake I’ll never know – but it was a message that was filled with such love and caring that I knew, right then, that this person? _This_ was Harry’s person. I won’t fill you in on all of the boring mushy details of that message, because it was bloody _long_ , but that’s when I knew that Louis was _it_ for Harry.

“So I want to wish you both a long, happy marriage. I know you’ll make it a great one.”

Louis claps her hands hard, warmth filling her chest. She mouths ‘thank you’ to Gemma who just winks at her and sits back down.

“I love you,” Louis whispers, nosing Harry’s cheek gently. Harry turns her head and kisses Louis lovingly. “We should get to work on those five kids soon, though.”

Harry’s eyes twinkle at the implication. “Well, I _am_ ovulating,” she mumbles against Louis’ lips. “We can try tonight?”

Louis nods. “I’d love that.” She kisses Harry again, losing herself in it just for a moment.

They’re interrupted when their server places their dinner plates in front of them. Louis thanks them with a smile and picks up her cutlery to start eating. 

“I’m probably going to have to change shoes soon,” Harry comments a short while later. “These shoes are cute but not that functional.”

“Do you have spare ones, love?” Louis asks. 

Harry nods. “Yeah, I got Mum to keep a pair of flats aside for me.”

They finish their dinner and while the last people are eating, Louis takes the microphone. She turns it on and addresses the crowd. She can see so many familiar faces from where she stands, and is filled with love for every single one of them.

“I just wanted to thank everyone again for coming,” Louis begins, scanning the crowd. She sees Eleanor wink at her and she can’t help but smile back. “I know that so many of you took time off from work to come here to Paris for this, and I can’t thank you enough. 

“Harry and I are so grateful that you are all here, helping us celebrate one of the most important days of our lives,” she continues. “I wanted to give a special thank you to both of our mums – Anne and Jay – for absolutely _everything_ they’ve done in preparation for this day. You are both absolute goddesses.

“I also wanted to give a special shout out to Ed for agreeing to come here and sing _Thinking Out Loud_ for Harry and my first dance.” She pauses while Ed gives a little wave as everyone swivels to look at him. “And I also wanted to thank the amazing staff here at the chateau. They have gone above and beyond all of our hopes and dreams in making this the best wedding possible.” She nods to their wedding planner who is standing off to the side. 

“And lastly, I wanted to thank Harry. Thank you for making me the happiest woman in the entire universe by marrying me today. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to properly express just how much you mean to me, Harry. I love you so much.”

Applause rings out as Louis leans over and kisses Harry softly on the lips.

“And without further ado, I’d like to invite you all onto the dance floor,” she adds. She sets the microphone down and Harry stands up, grabbing Louis and pulling her in for a heated kiss. 

“It’s a pity that we can get out of here now,” Harry whispers. Her eyes are closed and she bites down on her bottom lip. It makes Louis’ skin tingle with anticipation.

“We can’t. We haven’t even cut the cake yet,” Louis whispers back. “We’ve got all night. And the rest of our lives, love.”

“I know,” Harry says. She opens her eyes and locks her gaze onto Louis’. “But I want to start out wedding night _now_. Just so you can see how much you turn me on.”

“Believe me, princess, I know,” Louis says, her lips kissing just below Harry’s ear. She lingers for a few long seconds before pulling back. “Go get those flats, we’ve got dancing to do.” She pats Harry’s bum twice in succession before heading to the dance floor herself.

She grabs Gemma’s hand before she can even start dancing with anyone else and gives her a cheeky grin. Gemma shakes her head, smiling, and steps in close.

“You Styles women have no right being so tall,” Louis comments, looking up at Gemma. 

“I’m wearing heels,” Gemma says, shaking her foot in Louis’ direction.

“I am too,” Louis replies. Gemma chuckles and Louis twirls her. “Your speech was great. Thank you.”

Gemma gives her an easy smile. “You make Harry happy – that’s all any sister can want.”

“Thank you,” Louis repeats. They keep dancing until Harry reappears and takes Louis’ spot. She grins at Harry and turns to find Liam to dance with.

She ends up joining Liam and Sophia in their dance, squashing between them like their old university days. 

“How does it feel to be married?” Sophia asks when Louis spins to face her.

“Pretty great,” Louis says easily. “I see why you and Liam like it so much.”

Sophia grins and hugs Louis. “I’m so happy for you,” she says. Louis hugs her back tighter.

Everyone keeps dancing. The music is lively, their DJ is a great fit for them. She’s incredibly talented, Louis thinks. 

Harry appears in Louis’ line of vision after a while and she immediately reaches out for her wife, wrapping her arms around Harry’s middle. Harry wraps her arms around Louis’ shoulders, keeping her close. They stand there, in the middle of the dance floor, completely wrapped in each other for the duration of the next song, trading small kisses that make Louis’ body sing happily.

They part after the song ends and Louis goes in search of her sisters, making sure that each of them are given big hugs. She laughs when Daisy and Phoebe do some ridiculous moves that she has no intentions of copying, even when they dare her to.

Thankfully dancing with Lottie is far tamer, Louis thinks. She places her hand on Lottie’s lower back and sways with her, despite it being an upbeat song. They laugh and twirl each other and it makes Louis feel like they’re kids again, dancing in the lounge room at home to her Spice Girls CDs. 

Félicité cuts in a moment later, taking Louis away from Lottie. She hugs Louis tightly and they start to sway together, too.

“I hope my wedding is as good as this one,” Félicité says, peering around the room. “This place is…”

“Magical?” Louis supplies.

Félicité nods. “Yeah. That’s definitely the word for it.”

“One day, it will be,” Louis replies. “You’ll find the person you want to marry and it will be just as magical as this.”

Félicité smiles. “Thanks, Lou.” 

They keep dancing until Louis has to stop to have a wee. She makes her way to the toilets, where she literally bumps into Eleanor who is exiting them.

“Gimme a sec,” Louis says, edging in. “I really need to wee.”

Eleanor follows her back into the toilets as Louis goes into a cubical.

“This is such a _you_ wedding, Lou,” Eleanor says. 

Louis grins even though Eleanor can’t see her through the door. “It is, isn’t it?” 

She finishes up and exits the cubicle, moving to the sinks to wash her hands. 

“I’m really happy for you,” Eleanor says, passing Louis some paper towel. 

“Thanks,” Louis says. “For both.” She tosses the used paper towel in the bin and then hugs Eleanor tightly. “I’m so glad you’re here.”

“I wouldn’t have missed it for the world,” Eleanor replies, tightening her hold on Louis. 

“We need to get some photos in the photo booth before the night ends,” Louis says when they part.

“I’d love that.”

They exit the toilets together and Louis immediately spots Harry. She takes her hand and leads her to the, thankfully, empty, photo booth she had installed in the corner. They squash together inside of it and take a series of photos that Louis can’t wait to see in person.

The camera flashes when Louis is in the middle of a heated kiss with Harry, and she’s quick to make sure no one else sees those, keeping the strip for themselves. 

“C’mon, let’s go cut the cake,” Harry whispers against Louis’ kiss swollen lips. 

Dazedly, Louis follows her. Harry shoots Louis a grin and squeezes her hand. Their cake is huge, because of course it is. It has to feed all of their guests, which there are a lot of. It’s wheeled out and Louis’ eyes widen at the sight of it. She squeezes Harry’s hand and they step aside so the breaks can be applied.

They cut the cake together and feed each other the first bites, forgoing smashing it into each other’s faces, thankfully. The cake is then cut into pieces by one of the chateau staff and served to their guests. Harry and Louis stand to the side with their bits, munching happily on the deliciousness of it. Inside the cake is made up of rainbow layers. Because they needed to remind everyone that they are lesbians and this is nothing if not a pride filled event.

Niall appears at their sides with a huge slice of cake, and really, Louis shouldn’t be surprised. She shakes her head, grinning, watching Niall go to town on her slice. Zayn joins them after a moment, giving them both soft smiles.

“This cake is amazing,” Niall says. “I want to marry this cake.”

Zayn nods her agreement. “I’d happily marry this cake, too,” she agrees. Niall grins at her and bumps their hips together. 

“We haven’t danced yet, Tommo,” Niall says.

“Which Tommo? There are two of us now,” Louis points out. Harry beams.

“Ugh, you two are going to be insufferable, aren’t you?” Niall asks, rolling her eyes affectionately. “Fine. _Louis_. I meant Louis.”

Louis grins at her. “When the music starts up again, the first dance is yours,” she promises.

“Good.”

“I’m going to go for a wee,” Harry says once she’s finished her cake. She puts her empty plate on a nearby table and wanders off.

“This has been a great night,” Zayn says, licking cake off her lips. “Second best wedding I’ve ever been to.”

Louis opens her mouth to protest, but quickly closes it when she sees Niall and Zayn exchange a fond look. 

“Your anniversary is next week, isn’t it?” she asks. 

Zayn nods. “Yeah, it is,” she replies. She pulls Niall close and kisses her cheek. “We’re going to stay here in Paris to celebrate. We’ve got a hotel booked and we’re going to just spend the next couple of weeks here.”

Louis gives them a soft smile. “That sounds lovely.”

“Best wife ever, this one,” Niall says, patting Zayn’s cheek before kissing her soundly. 

“Er, hi, everyone, I’m Harry.” Louis looks around when she hears Harry’s voice coming through a microphone. She spots Harry standing on the stage in front of a microphone on a stand. 

“Um, thank you all for coming to our wedding,” she continues. “I wanted to give Louis this little gift. Um. Thanks.” 

Music starts and Harry closes her eyes. She grips the microphone stand with her hand and opens her mouth. 

Louis gasps as Harry starts to sing a beautiful cover of John Legend’s _All of Me_. Tears immediately prick the backs of her eyes as she stares at Harry up on the stage, singing in front of all of their guests. 

The song is so beautiful coming from Harry, Louis thinks. Her skin breaks out in goosebumps when Harry hits the high notes. Harry’s gaze meets hers and she smiles, making Louis’ heart grow ten sizes in her chest. She is helpless but to stand there, watching Harry perform this incredible song. 

The music ends and Harry nods at the crowd. Everyone bursts into applause, Louis absolutely is the loudest of all of them. Harry climbs down from the stage and closes the gap between them. They kiss passionately, Louis clinging tightly to Harry. 

“I can’t believe you sang for me,” Louis whispers, finally opening her eyes. “That was… you’re _exceptional_ , Harry.”

Harry beams at her and kisses Louis again. “I love you.” 

They stand there, still kissing, while the DJ starts back up. People move around them, taking over the dance floor once again. Louis reluctantly stops kissing Harry in favour of swaying with her to the upbeat song playing. It’s only when the song hits the chorus that Louis realises what’s playing.

“ _Girls Like Girls_?” 

Harry grins, nodding. “At this wedding they do,” she replies happily. “We needed at least _one_ lesbian song to dance to.”

Louis tightens her grip on Harry’s waist, pulling her close until their bodies are flush against each other. They sing along to the song, to each other at first, then Niall and Zayn join in, and they get louder and louder. 

Before Louis knows it, Sophia, Liam, Eleanor and Kendall have joined them, singing their hearts out to this incredible song. Gemma’s arm slings around Louis’ shoulder towards the end, her voice terribly off-key, but it’s so endearing. Anissa’s on Gemma’s other side, singing along to the song. 

Louis looks around, grinning at all of these extraordinary women in her life. She has so much love in her heart for every single one of them. Towards the end of the song, Félicité slides between Gemma and Louis, giving Louis a shy look. Louis wraps her arm around Félicité’s middle and gives her a one armed hug. 

“I love that we’re all women who love women,” Harry says when the song ends. “Go us.”

Louis gives her a smacking kiss to her cheek. Their group disperses as the next song comes on and Louis turns to Félicité, giving her a proper cuddle. 

“How are you, Fizz?” she asks.

“Good,” Félicité replies with a nod. She tucks a loose strand of hair behind her ear. 

“I love this colour on you,” Louis says, fingering the strap of Félicité’s bridesmaids dress. It’s going to look so good in the wedding photos, she thinks. She can’t wait to see them.

“Me too,” Félicité replies. “Jay likes it, too. I sent her a selfie earlier.”

Louis waggles her eyebrows at her sister. “Yeah?”

Félicité promptly flushes. “Cow,” she mutters.

Louis laughs, pulling Félicité in for another hug. “I’m proud of you.”

“What for?” 

“For being you,” Louis starts. “For being such a good sister, and such a good person. If Jay is as wonderful as you say she is, then she’s lucky to have you.”

The redness on Félicité’s cheeks deepens. 

“Honestly,” she says purposefully. “And if you need anything while I’m on my honeymoon, just ask, okay?’

Félicité nods. She gives Louis a quick hug before moving away completely. Louis figures she’s embarrassed her enough for one night. She looks around, seeing almost every single wedding guest on the dance floor. It makes her smile. 

She spots Harry dancing with Ed, his tattooed arms standing out in stark contrast to Harry’s white dress. Louis glances around, and spots the photographer taking a photo of that, and she breathes a sigh of relief – Harry is going to want to relive _that_ moment as often as possible. She just watches them for a few moments, taking in Harry’s relaxed, happy face, and she falls in love all over again.

Louis turns, letting her gaze roam across the crowd. Her mum and Anne are dancing together again – it’s something they’ve been doing a lot of all evening. She can’t help but chuckle behind her hand when she sees Robin and Dan dancing together, too. She hasn’t ever seen Dan dance before, and it’s something she’s not going to forget any time soon.

As she lets her gaze drift across the room, she spots Eleanor and Kendall off to the side talking and decides to go and investigate. 

“El,” Louis says, approaching them. “Pay attention to me, I’m lonely.”

Eleanor rolls her eyes fondly. “Don’t you have a wife for that now?” 

“I do, but she’s off with her other soul mates,” Louis nods her head towards the dance floor where Harry, Niall and Zayn are now all dancing. “Pay attention to me.” She pokes Eleanor in the arm and grins.

“Cow,” Eleanor says fondly.

“How very dare you,” Louis says, winding an arm around her middle. “That’s the second time in the last ten minutes that someone has called me a cow.”

“Really? Who else has?”

“Fizzy, I was teasing her about her girlfriend,” Louis replies. 

“I love that everyone here is so…” Kendall trails off, looking somewhat awkward.

“Gay?” Louis supplies. Kendall nods and Louis grins. “We’re all about the gays here.”

“It’s nice,” Kendall replies. “When I hang out with my family, everyone is _so straight_. It gets a bit much. Like, I’ll crack a joke about how gay I am and they’ll be ‘Kenny, you’re so weird’. But I’m just being me.”

Louis nods. “I get it, hanging out with straights does that to me, too. Sometimes at work I’d go hang out with Liam just to have some lesbian solidarity. Then El came along and it was amazing. You know, before you and your lips stole her away.”

Kendall and Eleanor laugh. They move closer to each other, seemingly without even realising it. It makes Louis smile fondly at them.

“Anyway, how are you both?” Louis asks.

“We’re good,” Kendall says easily, looking at Eleanor with such love in her eyes. “Your wedding was lovely, by the way.”

“Thank you,” Louis replies. “You’re my new best friend now. Come dance with me!”

“You sound a bit tipsy, Lou,” Eleanor says.

Louis grins and shrugs. “Maybe just a little. It’s my wedding, after all.”

She takes both Eleanor and Kendall’s hands and leads them onto the dance floor. The song changes to one that has them singing along to loudly, dancing together and having the best fun of Louis’ entire life.

A while later, she starts to flag. She sits down at a table and props her aching feet up on another chair. She had switched to flats before the cake was cut, and she’s thankful for it. She doesn’t know how Eleanor is still dancing in heels after all of this time. Her feet ache just _thinking_ about it.

“Alright, love?” Harry asks, rubbing her hand over Louis’ shoulders. She pulls up another chair and sits down next to Louis.

Louis nods. “You?” 

“The best,” Harry replies. She leans over and gives Louis a quick kiss. “Mum’s getting everyone organised outside. Then she’ll hand out the gift bags.”

“Oh, that’s nice,” Louis says tiredly. She leans her head on Harry’s shoulder as Anne gets everyone’s attention, saying that Louis and Harry will be leaving in ten minutes. 

It’s the perfect end to the wedding festivities, Louis thinks as she steps outside. Their guests form two rows, creating an aisle between them. Everyone is holding a sparkler in each hand, forming a sparkler farewell line. Louis grins and takes Harry’s hand in hers, walking down the makeshift aisle together. They reach the end where their mums are and accept the hugs and kisses from them before climbing into their horse-drawn carriage ready to go back to their suite at the chateau.

The distance could’ve easily been walked, but Louis is enjoying this private, quiet moment with Harry. She laces their fingers together, squeezing ever so slightly. Harry turns her head and kisses Louis’ forehead. She lets her lips linger for a few long seconds, and Louis closes her eyes, enjoying the touch.

All too soon, they’re entering _The Romance Suite_ , and upon stepping inside, Louis thinks that it definitely lives up to its name. It is absolute _gorgeous_ , decked out in pink hues that has Harry grinning from ear to ear. 

The bed looks absolutely inviting, Louis thinks as she takes in the room. She’d love nothing more than to just go to sleep right now. Harry, it seems, has read Louis’ mind, and is tugging on her hand, leading her towards what Louis guesses is the bathroom. She’s not wrong. Harry slowly undresses Louis, taking each item of clothing off and leaving it draped over the edge of bath tub.

They step into the shower once they’re both undressed. The hot water feels perfect on Louis’ skin. She sighs, leaning her body further into the spray. Harry quickly joins her, crowding in close. They trade slow kisses as they wash, both not in any kind of hurry. 

Eventually, they make it to the bedroom. Louis carefully takes out Granny Darling’s hair slide and sets it down on top of the vanity. She grabs a hair tie and ties her hair up into a messy bun on top of her head. Harry does the same, setting her tiara down next to Louis’ slide. 

“C’mon,” Harry says softly, leading Louis to the bed. 

“A really big part of me just wants to go to sleep right now,” Louis says the moment her naked body comes in contact with the incredibly soft bed sheets. 

“Me too,” Harry agrees. She curls into Louis’ side. “But the part that wants to make love to you is winning out.”

“Me too,” Louis echoes. 

Their lips meet once more, and Louis sags against Harry. They shift until they’re both comfortable, their legs entwined. Louis strokes her hand down Harry’s back until it comes to rest at the bottom of her spine. She gently strokes over the mound of her bum and runs her hand back up Harry’s side, thumb rubbing over her nipple when it’s within reach. Harry gasps into the kiss, her body arching into Louis’ touch.

Louis slides her thigh higher between Harry’s legs, feeling the warmth of her naked pussy pressing _just so_ against it. Harry’s hips automatically rock downwards, seeking friction. Louis smiles into the kiss and rolls them over so she’s on top of Harry. 

“What do you want?” she asks, lowering her head to pepper kisses over Harry’s clavicle. Harry inhales sharply as Louis’ mouth closes over her nipple. She runs her tongue around the outside of the sensitive nub, feeling it harden between her lips. She lifts her head ever so slightly to blow cool air across it. Harry whines high in the back of her throat. Her hand comes to the back of Louis’ head, pushing Louis back down. 

“Fuck,” Harry hisses. She splays her hand across the back of Louis’ neck, digging her fingertips in ever so slightly. 

Louis moves off and caresses Harry’s breast, running her thumb over the wet nipple. She fixes her gaze on Harry’s flushed face, taking in the way she bites her lip, the pink hues on her cheekbones. Harry’s eyes slowly open, and she stares at Louis with glassy eyes.

“What do you want?” Louis repeats. 

“You,” Harry replies predictably. Louis smiles.

“You have me.”

“I do,” Harry says. The two simple words send a thrill through Louis.

“You do.”

Their lips meet again in a heated kiss. Harry pulls Louis in close, wrapping her legs around Louis’ middle until their bodies are pressed flush together. She ruts upwards, arching into Louis. 

“Touch me,” Harry whispers, her voice needy. Louis is helpless but to comply. 

She slides a hand between their bodies and cups Harry’s pussy with her entire hand. Harry pushes against her. Louis parts her folds with expert fingers, groaning when she feels how wet Harry is. She kisses whatever skin her mouth comes into contact with as she rubs oh so slowly over Harry’s clit. Harry makes the most beautiful noises, Louis thinks dopily as she slides a finger into her wife’s entrance. 

“I need to touch you too,” Harry whines, pushing Louis off her a little bit. “Please.”

“Okay.” Louis shifts, moving so she’s lying on her side facing Harry, who scoots in close, throwing her leg over Louis’ hip. 

“Spread your legs a bit.” 

They shift a bit more, wriggling to get the most comfortable position for both of them. Their foreheads press together as they both slide a hand between the others legs. Louis can see Harry smiling as she sinks a finger inside of Louis. She bites down on her lip in concentration, the action makes Louis’ pulse spike with desire. 

She kisses Harry as best as she can given the angle they’re both at. She teases Harry, running feather light touches over Harry’s swollen clit. Harry’s breath is warm over Louis’ cheek as she inhales shakily. Louis gently noses Harry’s cheek until she tilts her head upwards. She slides her tongue against Harry’s just as she slides two of her fingers into Harry’s soaking wet entrance. Harry moans into her mouth, her free hand clenching against Louis’ back. 

They keep teasing each other until they’re both a panting mess.

“I want to come at the same time as you,” Harry says, looking at Louis with a lust-filled gaze. Louis nods her head dumbly. 

They shift again and Louis rubs over Harry’s clit with her wet fingers. It’s getting harder to concentrate, Louis notices. Her mind is foggy with her orgasm pooling between her legs. She struggles to keep fingering Harry at the same pace. Her breath hitches at the same time that Harry’s does. Harry starts to tremble in Louis’ arms as she orgasms, her hand not faltering at all between Louis’ legs. Louis pants heavily as her orgasm washes over her. She sags against Harry, smiling into her shoulder. 

Harry slowly removes her hand from between Louis’ legs and she lifts it to her mouth, sucking slowly on the digits. Louis crushes their lips together, tasting herself on Harry’s tongue. She can’t get enough of it.

“Excellent orgasm, Mrs Tomlinson,” Harry whispers, dragging her nose across Louis’ cheek. She nips at Louis’ earlobe, making Louis shudder. 

“I concur, Mrs Tomlinson.” Harry gives her a beaming smile.

“Today has been the best day of my life,” Harry says, stroking her hand over Louis’ shoulder. She gently cups Louis’ breast in her hand, her thumb running over Louis’ nipple. 

“Fancy that, it was the best day of my life, too.” Louis kisses Harry softy again. She can’t get enough of this.

“Alright, c’mon, time to put a baby in me, Tommo,” Harry says, reaching down to pat Louis’ bum. 

Louis grins at her, pushing Harry on her back, looking down at her beautiful, flushed face. “As you wish.”

~*~

The next morning is spent in bed, trading lazy orgasms and even lazier kisses. They can’t keep their hands off each other. It’s a feeling that Louis never wants to forget.

After a delicious breakfast that is served to them in bed, they take a relaxing hot bath. The water feels incredible against Louis’ skin. She hums as she washes Harry’s body, running the flannelette over her smooth skin. 

“We have an appointment shortly,” Harry says, interrupting Louis’ train of thought.

“We do?”

Harry nods. “Mmhmm. I organised my hairdresser from yesterday to come in and give us haircuts.”

“That sounds lovely,” Louis says. She drops a kiss to Harry’s naked shoulder and then gets out of the bath. 

They’ve just finished drying off and are in their robes when there’s a knock on the door. Harry opens it, letting the hairdresser come in. Harry offers to go first, sitting down in front of the vanity. Louis sits off to the side, watching intently while popping grapes into her mouth. She knew that Harry has wanted to do this for a long time, and she’s excited to see the result.

Sandy, the hairdresser, divides Harry’s hair into low ponytails, cutting off each section above the elastic band. She puts them in bags to go to _The Princess Trust_ back in England to be made into wigs. Then she starts trimming Harry’s hair into a new shape. 

By the time Sandy has finished cutting Harry’s hair, it sits well above her shoulders. Louis watches as Harry takes in her new hair and grins. She can’t help but smile too, Harry’s smiles are infectious.

“My turn,” Louis says, getting up. She stops Harry and kisses her hotly, making sure to cup the back of Harry’s neck where there’s hardly any hair. “You look so incredibly fuckable right now,” she whispers. Harry’s breath stutters and her tongue darts out to lick her lips. 

Louis takes the vacated seat in front of the vanity and Sandy places the cape around Louis’ neck.

“Same length as Harry’s,” she says to Sandy, meeting her eyes in the mirror. Sandy nods and ties Louis’ hair into bunches to cut. She bags the hair, just like she did for Harry, and then begins to trim Louis’ hair so it just sits on her shoulders. 

“Actually," Louis says upon seeing her reflection. “How about we go shorter?”

Harry perks up across the room.

“How short?” Sandy asks.

“Power lesbian short,” Louis replies. “But I want a nice floppy fringe. I love me a fringe.”

Sandy’s lips quirk in a smirk. “Got a photo you want to go from?”

“Harry does,” Louis says and Harry nods. She can see Harry’s thumbs moving quickly over the screen of her phone. She finds a photo and shows it to Sandy.

“One power lesbian haircut coming up,” she says.

Louis winks at Harry who beams back at her. She settles down a little closer this time, keeping the camera of her phone trained on Louis. She’s not very subtle about it, but Louis doesn’t care. She loves that Harry wants to document this.

“There, all done,” Sandy says, taking the cape off Louis. She immediately runs her hands through her short locks and stands, smiling. Sandy starts clearing up the floor and Louis turns her attention towards Harry.

“I _love_ it,” Harry says, skipping over to Louis. She throws her arms around Louis’ shoulders and kisses her soundly on the lips. 

“Me too,” Louis agrees. She pats Harry on the bum and lets go of her. “I just need to pay Sandy, love.”

Harry nods and Louis opens a drawer to grab her purse out. She flips it open and passes over a wad of Euros to Sandy, whose eyes widen dramatically.

“Thanks for coming in on a Sunday,” Louis says pointedly. She closes her purse and puts it back in the drawer. “And for sending the hair to _The Princess Trust_.”

Sandy smiles and nods. “They’re a worthy charity. Thank you for your donations.”

She exits the room, leaving Louis and Harry alone. 

“What should we do now?” Harry asks, running her hands through Louis’ hair. “We could see if the others have finished brunch yet?”

“Yeah, I’d like that,” Louis agrees. 

They leave their suite, heading outside where only Zayn and Niall remain. 

“Wh-hey! Looking sexy there, Tommo!” Niall cheers.

“Thanks,” Harry says with a grin. Niall rolls her eyes. 

They sit down and are immediately passed mimosas and a plate of fruit to share. Louis sips on her drink while Harry starts in on the fruit. 

“Aren’t you drinking?” Zayn asks and Harry shakes her head. 

“Nope,” she says, popping the ‘p’. “I’m trying to get pregnant.”

Both Niall and Zayn’s heads turn to face Harry, who just smiles innocently at them. 

“What? I’m ovulating, I want to increase my chances as much as possible,” Harry says. 

“Smart,” Niall says in solidarity. 

“Thanks,” Harry says. She finishes chewing her fruit and picks up her phone, flicking the camera open. “C’mon, we need a selfie of our new hair.” 

Louis shuffles, pressing in close to Harry, who lines up their shot. They both smile at the camera, but at the last second, Louis turns her head and kisses Harry’s cheek, her eyes closed. 

“I love it,” Harry says softly. 

Louis watches as she opens Instagram and choses their selfie. She starts typing the caption and Louis’ heart grows in size when she reads the words appearing on the screen.

 _The summer time and the butterflies all belong to your creation. I love you_.

~*~  
_Several months later_

Their first night back home after their incredibly adventurous honeymoon sees the familiarity of Niall and Zayn in their lounge room. Louis holds a cup of Yorkshire tea in her hands and she inhales its perfect scent. She hasn’t had a proper Yorkshire tea in far too long.

She can hear Harry telling them one story or another from their travels and it makes Louis smile to hear the enthusiasm in her voice. She joins Harry in the arm chair, and rests her free hand on Harry’s soft thigh.

“So we’ve actually got some news to share,” Niall says once Harry has finished her story.

“Us too,” Harry says, her gaze flicking to Louis, who just nods at her.

“On three?” Niall offers, the corners of her mouth lifting upwards, like she knows Harry’s secret before she’s even said it. With Niall, it is entirely possible, Louis thinks.

“On three,” Harry echoes.

Louis’ gaze flicks between Zayn and Niall, then back to Harry, who is practically vibrating with excitement. She starts the countdown for them, and once she reaches three, both Niall and Harry open their mouths and exclaim:

“I’m pregnant!”

**Author's Note:**

> Hi again. If you've got this far, I hope you enjoyed this part. ♥  
> Please leave me a comment if you liked it. I love comments so very much a lot. ♥
> 
>  
> 
> rebloggable post on my [tumblr](http://star55.tumblr.com/post/183951560671)


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